Cristina Argudin Violante
Policy Associate for the project The Future of Small Island Societies in a World of Rapidly Rising Sea Levels
Predicted sea level rise as a result of anthropogenic climate change, threatens to drastically alter coastlines around the world. Although small island developing states (SIDS) are among the countries least responsible for climate change, they are the most vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise. Those most vulnerable, low-lying atoll states, may be completely expunged from the map by rising seas by 2100 (IPCC 2018). This scenario raises a number of social and political challenges, including the increase in the number of “climate refugees” and the loss of states’ political identity deriving in a “state death.”
As a Policy Associate, I worked in the project The Future of Small Island Societies in a World of Rapidly Rising Sea Levels, along a multidisciplinary team composed by Prof Chris Armstrong, Prof Jack Corbett and Prof David Owen (Politics and Int. Relationships) and Prof Emma Tompkins (Geography, Environment and Development).
My focus for this project was on climate change adaptation policies, particularly those affecting maritime boundaries and displacement in the context of rising sea levels. My research aimed to assess how SIDS are currently responding and adapting to sea level rise, identifying best practices and areas of improvement. The outcomes of the project- a comprehensive database on climate change policies, a policy synthesis and a stakeholder analysis- aim to support researchers in their policy engagement activities.
The database, is the most comprehensive and up to date compilation on climate change and inter-sectorial policies in ten SIDS from the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean, including all atoll nations. It aims to synthesise all information available on climate change adaptation policies in those countries in an effort to improve understanding of the current top-down responses to sea level rise. The database provides a list of all public polices related to climate change adaptation, at an international, regional and national level and it covers climate change-focused and inter-sectorial policies. For each policy, a range of information is available, including the date of implementation, a summary of each policy, an analysis on each country’s response to issue of sea level rise, and a link to the source. The database is supported by a policy synthesis document that outlines the methodology and key findings.
In addition to the database and policy synthesis, I performed a stakeholder analysis to identify the institutions that are currently shaping climate change policy, particularly those affecting maritime boundaries and displacement in the context of rising sea level.
As part of the project, we will be designing and hosting a series of workshops to strengthen communication between policy makers from Pacific and Caribbean SIDS and UK’s major institutions to promote dialogue on solutions to rising seas.
Public Policy Southampton’s Policy Associate Scheme, has provided me with a unique opportunity to continue producing research that will help better support evidence-informed policymaking.