The economics of climate change in the Pacific
Climate change is a serious threat to poverty alleviation and development efforts in the Pacific. The physical, social, and economic characteristics of the Pacific countries make them highly vulnerable to the foreseen intensification of storm surges, cyclones, and rise in sea levels. The marked changes in rainfall patterns and in land and ocean temperatures that now adversely impact the island countries are expected to further aggravate the situation. In a region characterized by extensive
growth of rural and urban settlements in coastal areas, none of its countries can hope to remain unaffected by the effects of climate change.