Vocabulary:

• adaptation—an adjustment to a new or changing environment
• coral bleaching—a process in which coral reefs turn white
• drought—long period of low rainfall and very dry conditions
• ecosystem—a community of living things together with their physical environment

Whether you live on a low-lying coral atoll or a high volcanic island in the Pacific, climate change affects your island’s resources and communities. The increasing air and ocean temperature, rising sea level, and changing weather patterns in the region threaten the islands in several important ways. One of these is food security.

When the food supply is secure, all members of a community have access to a steady supply of healthy food. With healthy food, people can lead active lives. By producing more than enough food, a community can also earn money from markets outside of the island. In this way, food security matters to both the health of an island’s people and its economy.

In the Pacific Islands, food sources are from both land and sea. Traditionally, islanders have produced just enough food to support themselves. They have lived on taro, yams, and other crops such as bananas. But the techniques used to grow native plants are no longer practiced on some islands, partly because of the effects of climate change. For example, taro patches are difficult to manage during flooding and drought. Today, many islanders rely on food imported from other places. This can be expensive and has led to a diet that is often less healthty than the traditional one.

The sea provides most communities with their primary source of protein and income: fish. The coastal ecosystems on which fisheries depend are also at risk due to the effects of climate change. Coral reefs will bleach and may even die when the sea surface temperature and the ocean acidity increase beyond a certain level. These factors affect not just the corals that build the reef but the fish and other marine species that live near it.

In a changing climate, the need to strengthen food security is obvious. While the video features islands in Papua New Guinea, the adaptation strategies that are shown and discussed can be applied to other Pacific islands that experience similar conditions. Switching to new and drought-resistant crop plants, replanting areas with trees, and putting in strong protections to conserve resources like fish are good ideas any island can adopt.

Rural communities do not need expensive technology or training to deal with climate change and its impact on food security. Local government agencies and conservation groups can work with local farmers and fishermen to undertand the impacts of climate change, analyze local conditions, plan for adaptations, and put these plans into place.

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