Climate Change and Impacts in the Pacific

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

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2. Climate Change and the Pacific Islands

   • Lalit Kumar, Sadeeka Jayasinghe, Tharani Gopalakrishnan, Patrick D. Nunn

   Pages 1-31

3. Islands in the Pacific: Settings, Distribution and Classification

   • Patrick D. Nunn, Lalit Kumar, Roger McLean, Ian Eliot

   Pages 33-170

4. Climate Change Scenarios and Projections for the Pacific

   • Savin S. Chand

   Pages 171-199

5. Comparison of the Physical Susceptibility of Pacific Islands to Risks Potentially Associated with Variability in Weather and Climate

   • Lalit Kumar, Ian Eliot, Patrick D. Nunn, Tanya Stul, Roger McLean

   Pages 201-224

6. Downscaling from Whole-Island to an Island-Coast Assessment of Coastal Landform Susceptibility to Metocean Change in the Pacific Ocean

   • Ian Eliot, Lalit Kumar, Matt Eliot, Tanya Stul, Roger McLean, Patrick D. Nunn

   Pages 225-250

7. A Review of South Pacific Tropical Cyclones: Impacts of Natural Climate Variability and Climate Change

   • Savin S. Chand, Andrew Dowdy, Samuel Bell, Kevin Tory

   Pages 251-273

8. Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Infrastructure in the Pacific

   • Lalit Kumar, Tharani Gopalakrishnan, Sadeeka Jayasinghe

   Pages 275-294

9. Population Distribution in the Pacific Islands, Proximity to Coastal Areas, and Risks

   • Lalit Kumar, Tharani Gopalakrishnan, Sadeeka Jayasinghe

   Pages 295-322

10. Agriculture Under a Changing Climate

    • Viliamu Iese, Siosiua Halavatau, Antoine De Ramon N’Yeurt, Morgan Wairiu, Elisabeth Holland, Annika Dean et al.

    Pages 323-357

11. Impacts of Climate Change on Marine Resources in the Pacific Island Region

    • Johanna E. Johnson, Valerie Allain, Britt Basel, Johann D. Bell, Andrew Chin, Leo X. C. Dutra et al.

    Pages 359-402

12. Freshwater Availability Under Climate Change

    • Tony Falkland, Ian White

    Pages 403-448

13. Climate Change and Impacts on Biodiversity on Small Islands

    • Lalit Kumar, Sadeeka Jayasinghe, Tharani Gopalakrishnan

    Pages 449-474

14. Economic Impacts and Implications of Climate Change in the Pacific

    • Satish Chand

    Pages 475-498

15. Adaptation to Climate Change: Contemporary Challenges and Perspectives

    • Patrick D. Nunn, Roger McLean, Annika Dean, Teddy Fong, Viliamu Iese, Manasa Katonivualiku et al.

    Pages 499-524

16. Back Matter

    Pages 525-538

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This edited volume addresses the impacts of climate change on Pacific islands, and presents databases and indexes for assessing and adapting to island vulnerabilities. By analyzing susceptibility variables, developing comprehensive vulnerability indexes, and applying GIS techniques, the book's authors demonstrate the particular issues presented by climate change in the islands of the Pacific region, and how these issues may be managed to preserve and improve biodiversity and human livelihoods. 

The book first introduces the issues specific to island communities, such as high emissions impacts, and discusses the importance of the lithological traits of Pacific islands and how these physical factors relate to climate change impacts. From here, the book aims to analyze the various vulnerabilities of different island sectors, and to formulate a susceptibility index from these variables to be used by government and planning agencies for relief prioritization. Such variables include tropical cyclones, built infrastructures, proximity to coastal areas, agriculture, fisheries and marine resources, groundwater availability, biodiversity, and economic impacts on industries such as tourism. Through the categorization and indexing of these variables, human and physical adaptation measures are proposed, and support solutions are offered to aid the inhabitants of affected island countries. This book is intended for policy makers, academics, and climate change researchers, particularly those dealing with climate change impacts on small islands.

• Pacific island Countries (PICs)
• Island nation emissions
• Pacific Island Lithology
• Climate change susceptibility
• Projected sea level rises
• Whole-of-island susceptibility index
• Island sector vulnerabilities
• Tropical cyclones
• Population distribution in Pacific Islands
• Built infrastructures in the Pacific
• Climate risks to biodiversity
• Groundwater availability
• Island vulnerability
• Vulnerability of Pacific islands
• climate change
• Environmental Geography

• School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, Australia

  Lalit Kumar

Dr. Lalit Kumar is a Professor in the School of Environmental and Rural Science at the University of New England, NSW, Australia. He received his PhD in GIS/remote sensing at the University of New South Wales in 1998, has authored or co-authored 20 books or book chapters, and has published over 220 scientific papers in reputable journals. Additionally, he is an editor on a number international journals, such as Remote Sensing; ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing; Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk; PLoS ONE; Sustainability; and Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment. At UNE he teaches courses in GIS, remote sensing and image analysis, and spatial analysis and modeling. His research interests include the applications of spatial technologies, environmental modeling, ecological remote sensing, and climate change impacts on small island states in the Pacific and the Himalayas.

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