Effects of climate change on settlements and infrastructure relevant to the Pacific Islands

Abstract

From around the time of independence, mostly in the 1970s, the coastal zones of most Pacific states have experienced changes in land use, from being primarily agricultural to becoming increasingly urban and tourism orientated. This ‘coastal squeeze’ has led to a concentration of infrastructure and wealth in low lying coastal areas, prone to multiple natural hazards, the impacts of which are exacerbated by climate change.