In this month’s show, we visit the island state of Kiribati, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, whose future is at risk from rising sea levels brought about by climate change.

Scientists agree there are limited adaptation options for the tiniest archipelagos of the small island developing states (SIDS), a group of diverse tropical islands facing similar economic and environmental issues. Within 30 to 50 years, it is likely that Kiribati, along with other small states such as the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, will disappear beneath the ocean.

In SciDev.Net’s UK studio, we hosted Victoria Burns, whose film, Tinau (My Mother), portrays a disappearing nation through the words and memories of her Kiribatese family.

We report on the climate science behind the human crisis with Elizabeth Carabine, a researcher at UK think-tank the Overseas Development Institute. She explains the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s findings about small islands and rising sea levels.

Ilan Kelman, a researcher at University College London, United Kingdom, talks about a project that brings together indigenous people from the SIDS and from the Arctic regions to try to learn lessons about tackling climate change globally.

And, finally, Juan Casasbuenas, SciDev.Net’s training coordinator, launches our investigative journalism award, open to journalists from non-OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries willing to carry out an in-depth investigation into science and development issues.

http://www.scidev.net/global/climate-change/multimedia/podcast-vanishing-small-island-states.html

Photo courtesy of Christine Germano


SciDev.Net podcast: The vanishing small island states

SciDev.Net podcasts look at key global development issues and the ways in which science can have a positive impact on equitable and sustainable development and poverty reduction. 