Adapting coastal cities and territories to sea level rise in the Pacific: challenges and leading practices

Abstract

This report was produced as a key output from the Sea'ties Pacific Regional Workshop that was held between 10 - 12 July 2023 in Nadi, Fiji. The workshop was organised by the Ocean & Climate Platform, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC), with funding support from the Fonds Pacifique (French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs), the PCCC, and SPREP through the technical assistance programme of the Kiwa Initiative. The report provides an overview of current adaptation challenges faced across the Pacific region, along with inspiring initiatives to address them. Findings in this report draw on insights gained from individuals as well as the workshop itself, and highlights that in a region where many islands are low-lying, the vast majority of the population lives by the ocean where the coast is rapidly urbanising, sea level rise remains an existential issue and is paramount to fast-track both mitigation and adaptation action.