Appraisal mission: Managing the impact of climate change on land resources in the Pacific : climate change in the Pacific islands impacts and scope for action: working paper 1

As with other small islands developing States (SIDS), Pacific island countries (PICs) are highly vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise owing partly to their small land masses surrounded by ocean, and their location in regions prone to natural disasters. PICs are often characterized by having relatively large populations for the area they occupy with high growth rates and densities; poorly developed infrastructure and limited natural, human and economic resources, and their high dependence on marine resources for their livelihood needs. Most of their economies are reliant on a limited resource base and are vulnerable to external forces, such as changing terms of trade, trade liberalization, and migration flows. Adaptive capacity to climate change is generally low.