Small Island Developing States are often depicted as being among the most vulnerable of all places to the effects of climate change, and they are a cause célèbre of many involved in climate science, politics and the media. Yet while small island developing states are much talked about, the production of both scientific knowledge and policies to protect the rights of these nations and their people has been remarkably slow.

This book is the first to apply a critical approach to climate change science and policy processes in the South Pacific region. It shows how groups within politically and scientifically powerful countries appropriate the issue of island vulnerability in ways that do not do justice to the lives of island people. It argues that the ways in which islands and their inhabitants are represented in climate science and politics seldom leads to meaningful responses to assist them to adapt to climate change. Throughout, the authors focus on the hitherto largely ignored social impacts of climate change, and demonstrate that adaptation and mitigation policies cannot be effective without understanding the social systems and values of island societies.

Table of Contents:

1. The Trouble with Climate Change
2. Environment and Development in Pacific Islands
3. The History and Architecture of Climate Science
4. Pacific Science Initiatives
5. The Architecture of Climate Change Policy
6. Doing Climate Change in the Pacific
7. Investing in Uncertainty and Vulnerability
8. Discourses of Danger
9. Conclusions