Human Security, Climate Change and Small Islands

Abstract

This chapter examines the impact of climate change on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and its con- sequences on the human security of their populations. This theme is elaborated by focusing on the linkages among climate change, poverty alleviation, the social cobweb, political stability, and peace through a more holistic definition of security. This chapter discusses linkages between human se- curity and the impact of climate change on SIDS. First the concept of human security (7.2) is introduced and applied to climate change (7.3), its relevance for hu- man security (7.4), and its specific impact on the sea and on SIDS (7.5) are discussed. A key assumption is that risk – understood as the probability of expected losses – can be quantitatively determined as a function of hazard, exposure of the element at risk and vulnerability.