Abstract
Atoll island communities are naturally vulnerable to flooding hazards such as king tides, storm surges and overtopping, among others. Climate change can be expected to catalyse the susceptibility to flooding through extreme weather events, sea level rise (SLR) and other climate related pressures. Further, population growth in coastal proximity can exacerbate vulnerabilities by degrading ecosystems such as mangroves and coral reefs that island communities tend to rely on for protection. The net effect: More and more people are congregating in a high-risk zone for floods and storms, but are less and less protected from them. Conventional adaptation wisdom suggests three responses: (1) plan a managed retreat (e.g., move inland); (2) accommodate the changes (e.g., build stilt houses); (3) resist the intrusion (e.g., build sea walls). On the Carteret Islands of Bougainville/Papua New Guinea (PNG), also known as the Tulun or Kilinailau Atoll, none of these adaptation measures have so far enabled the islanders to adapt in situ to mounting people and sea level pressures, resulting in both ad hoc and planned out-migration responses. Drawing on pilot research conducted on the Tulun and Nissan Atolls of Bougainville/PNG, this paper examines the linkages between climate change and human movement. It extends previous research by expressly inviting the grassroots perspectives of atoll communities of origin and mainland communities of destination in Tinputz and Buka. The research develops recommendations in areas of education, livelihood security, government planning and countering misinformation. Experiences and lessons gathered in this paper will be useful for both policy and practice serving the cause of climate change adaptation in Pacific island communities. Working towards a better understanding of climate change related vulnerabilities in coastal areas will also enable better adaptation responses.
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Notes
- 1.
A photo of the two islets Huene One and Two is available online: http://planetprepare.blogspot.com.au/2010/11/phd-pilot-study-carteret-islands.html.
- 2.
Transcribed from audio file of Session 1 @ 51:00 min previously posted at http://www.fourdegrees2011.com.au.
- 3.
Selected interview locations are available online: http://goo.gl/maps/byN0F.
- 4.
According to Earl Babbie, non-probability sampling represents “[a]ny technique in which samples are selected in some way not suggested by probability theory. Examples include reliance on available subjects as well as purposive (judgmental), quota, and snowball sampling” (Babbie 2010, p. 192).
- 5.
Limits of sea walls and coastal in situ adaptation on the Tulun Atoll are also shown in this United Nations University (UNU) (2009b) edited documentary: Sinking Paradise, Carteret Islands, PNG, https://youtu.be/Hgw4HTtokgk?t=1m15s.
- 6.
See “2.2 Nomenclature: Definitional difficulties” in Luetz (2013, pp. 29–30) for a list of terms that have been conceptually proposed in the literature to describe climate change related human movement.
- 7.
Endnote (a) in Luetz (2008, p. 121) states: “The term ‘climate refugee’ is used in this report on the understanding that World Vision does not endorse this term but rather recognises its usage by various commentators. World Vision acknowledges the legal definition of refugees as rendered by the 1951 Convention on Refugees”.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Kirsty Andersen for her copy-editorial support, Karen du Plessis for assistance with data analysis, John Connell for constructive comments, and Boniface Wadari for his research assistance in Bougainville. Grateful acknowledgment for relevant Ph.D. research support is also made to John Merson, Eileen Pittaway, Curt von Boguslawski, Richard Rumsey, Geoff Shepherd, and to the international development organisation World Vision. Finally, the authors wish to thank the people of Bougainville Region for generously sharing their stories, struggles, experiences and perspectives.
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Luetz, J., Havea, P.H. (2018). “We’re not Refugees, We’ll Stay Here Until We Die!”—Climate Change Adaptation and Migration Experiences Gathered from the Tulun and Nissan Atolls of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Strategies for Coastal Communities. Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70703-7_1
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