Climate change vulnerability and adaptation for small island developing states

(At max length) People, communities, and livelihoods in United Nations designated Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are considered particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, yet have also proven adept at adapting to past changing conditions. N evertheless, the rate and magnitude of climate change is starting to pose significant challenges across SIDS, suggesting that new knowledge is needed for SIDS vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. This project uses the approach that vulnerabili ty is created and maintained as a long-term process with internal and external influences, meaning that vulnerability reduction and adaptation must also occur over the long-term with a balance of internal and external influences and actions. Understanding these topics and acting on them means using participatory processes that involve working with communities to understand their interests, their knowledge, their gaps, and their ways of tackling problems on their own terms through participatory activities developed with the communities To contribute to research, policy, and practice on this topic, this project asks the following research questions: 1. What climate change vulnerabilities do small coastal communities face on SIDS? Why do these vulnerabiliti es arise? 2. What climate change vulnerability reduction and adaptation measures can small coastal communities of SIDS implement for themselves? 3. What climate change vulnerability reduction and adaptation measures are needed that small coastal communiti es of SIDS cannot implement for themselves? The focus is on small communities in order to target local knowledge and rural development strategies rather than dealing with urban topics. By starting small, lessons can be transferred and scaled up for other situations, such as cities. Two case studies will be selected and completed in consultation with the project partners, one Caribbean SIDS and one Pacific SIDS, enabling a cross-regional comparison.