Atoll Habitability Thresholds

September 25, 12:15pm - 1:15pm
Mānoa Campus, John A. Burns Hall, Room 4005

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Seminars, Pacific Islands Development and Research Programs present Atoll Habitability Thresholds

Mr. Mark Stege
Councilman, Maloelap Atoll Local Council

Climate-induced human migration makes a quiet but notable appearance in the third U.S. National Climate Assessment released in May. It comes in chapter 23, in the form of a ‘key message’ to the 100,000 or so atoll inhabitants within the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands region: “Mounting threats to food and water security, infrastructure, and public health and safety are expected to lead to increasing human migration from low to high elevation islands and continental sites.”

A number of efforts are underway to address the need for displacement planning. In the case of Kiribati, these include securing land holdings and housing abroad and developing employment-based foreign residency programs. More broadly, Pacific island countries are also fixing baselines and maritime boundaries to ensure that the impact of climate change and sea level rise does not result in reduced jurisdiction over sovereign ocean resources. A number of international conferences have also been held that directly or indirectly support additional efforts to build consensus among interested governments on an international protection agenda addressing the needs of people displaced across borders. There remains little research, however, on ways to operationalize displacement planning at a local scale.

The speaker will discuss a participatory management tool that is designed to empower atoll communities by engaging them in an empirical, solution-oriented decision-making process based on the notion of atoll habitability thresholds. He will develop an evidence base for atoll habitability thresholds, drawing from state-of-the-art research across selected thematic areas including flood risk, water security, and community resilience. He will describe both the scientific and legal basis for each habitability threshold, and where possible also conduct a demonstration of its application.

Mark Stege operates a Marshallese owned consulting firm focusing on education, environment, and heritage, and is an elected council member of the Maloelap Atoll Council in the Marshall Islands. He recently completed a 12-month fellowship at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society and the Sabin Climate Change Center for Law, as part of an M.A. in Climate and Society at Columbia University, following 12 years of research and professional experience in a broad range of Pacific Island affairs with emphasis on the Micronesian region.

Event Sponsor
East-West Center, Mānoa Campus

More Information
808-944-7111

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