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All nations, including Fiji, that are signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are obliged to provide National Communications to the Conference of Parties (COP) of the UNFCCC. The COP4 stressed the need for parties to the Convention to take into account the need for establishing implementation strategies for adaptation to climate and sea-level changes. As. such, Fiji is required to submit a National Communication document that shall include information on climate change vulnerability and adaptation implementation policies and strategies.

Tuvalu, whose territory is in peril of sinking beneath the waves as sea levels rise because of global warming, recently made the news with its decision to sue corporations in the United States and Australia that produce greenhouse gases, the cause of global warming. The litigation would seek damages and demand implementation of proper countermeasures.

While it is anticipated that most nations will ultimately suffer adverse consequences from climate change,1 small island states may face the most dire and immediate consequences. A previous piece by this author focused on the socioeconomic and cultural ramifications of climate change on Pacific Island Developing Countries (PIDCs).2 This article will examine the possible impacts of climate change on the ecosystems of PIDCs. In this pursuit, I will: first, provide a brief overview of PIDCS, second, outline present assessments of climate trends, both globally and regionally, that may have an impact on PIDCS, third, assess some of the potential ecosystem impacts of climate change on islands in the Pacific region, and finally, assess the possible role of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change in ameliorating these impacts.

Under the provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the signatory countries to the Convention are obligated to make periodic National Communications to the Conference of the Parties. Part of National Communications involves reporting on the country’s vulnerability and capacity to adapt to possible changes in climate. International funding mechanisms, such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF), serve to financially support developing countries in building the capacity to enable them to conduct assessments of climate change vulnerability and adaptation (V&A) assessments as a basis for National Communications.