Pursing self-determined responses to climate change in the Cook Islands : Exploring the interface between government organisational directive and local community engagement with climate change adaptation

Abstract

Small island communities are considered to be amongst the most 'at-risk' populations in the world to the impacts of climate change. Global regional and national entities have framed the plight of Pacific communities through climate change discourses. This study contributes to an emerging line of inquiry that investigates how applying the concepts of vulnerability and resilience to frame communities might contribute to community empowerment, or marginalisation.