Policy Briefs

This Policy Brief discusses, and provides an overview of, the impacts of climate change on health in the Pacific Island countries (PICs). Physical and mental health in PICs is particularly vulnerable to climate change, both directly, as an outcome of temperature increases and hazards, and indirectly, through increased threats to livelihoods. The health impacts of climate change constitute a slowly increasing threat to human security, but policies and practices centred on workforce development may minimise such threats and risks. The Policy Brief concludes with suggestions and recommendations for policy directions.

This policy brief seeks to examine the key barriers and limits preventing the Pacific from achieving its climate security goals through adaptation and what options might exist for the Pacific to overcome such constraints. Climate change remains the single greatest security threat to the Pacific Islands region. With emissions gaps persisting and agreements on mitigation efforts remaining contested, enabling opportunities for adaptation is now more crucial than ever for Pacific Island countries to meet their climate security ambitions.