Constructing Climate Change in the Pacific

Abstract

The prominence of climate change in the global arena has reconfigured the Pacific and its place in the world. Climate change has constructed the Pacific as the frontline of climate change. The first part of this chapter traces the emergence of climate change narratives and how they have been contextualized in the region and have established hegemony in political arenas. This is followed by an analysis of critical voices—many from within the region—that challenge climate hegemony and its impact, especially on other environmental and development problems faced in the region. The final section analyses the persistence of the frontline construction at the global level and the boost it offers to small island states in international climate politics. Keywords Constructing climate change Climate change hegemony Climate change frontline Pacific voices