Karen_A._Mingst,_Ivan_M._Arregu_n-Toft]_Essentia

The Environment— Protecting the Global Commons 407

when beaches erode, coral reefs are polluted,
and the quality of drinking water declines, tour­
ists stay away.
Some of these states have begun mitigation
efforts. Kiribati has bought land on neighboring
islands of Fiji to protect its food supply and possi­
bly to relocate its population. Panama’s govern­
ment is planning to relocate residents from
islands off the mainland, although those groups
are resisting relocation. Other states, like Antigua
and Barbuda and Saint Kitts and Nevis, are tak­
ing hazard monitoring more seriously, while still
others with more resources, such as the Feder­
ated States of Micronesia and Malta, have begun
desalination of sea water. Islands in the Ca rib­
bean like Barbados, Grenada, and Saint Lucia are
paying par tic u lar attention to protecting essen­
tial tourist facilities.
For most of the approximately 40 small
island states, however, it will be virtually impos­

sible to forestall the effects of climate change.

As a group, they share characteristics that

make them particularly vulnerable: limited

natu ral resources; a high density of population

and socio­ economic activities along the coastal

zone; susceptibility to intense tropical storms

and storm surge; limited land area, which pre­

vents some adaptation strategies; and insuffi­

cient financial resources.

These small island states have come together

around their shared challenges in the Alliance of

Small Island States. While they have no formal

charter or institutions, they have become a force­

ful group at the United Nations in New York in

lobbying for concrete action. But even though

developed states have pledged economic and

technical aid to these states during annual confer­

ences on climate change, the gap remains wide

between what the small states need and how the

developed nations have pledged to help.

For CritiCal analy sis

1. What financial commitments have been made to developing states adversely affected by
   climate change under the 2015 Paris Accord?


2. What power resources does the Alliance of Small Island States have at its disposal?


3. What mitigation efforts have begun in the United States?

a. Gardiner Harris, “As Seas Rise, Millions Cling to Borrowed Time and Dying Land,” New York Times, March 29,
2014.