Pacific regions

Averaging enough seasonal melt to fill 400,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools (Resource Watch, 2019), Greenland contains an estimated 7.4m of potential water level rise. 27cm of rise is already irreversibly committed due to the destabilisation of the ice sheet (Box et al., 2022).

This potential for Greenlandic melt is one of the direct effects of the warming Arctic, which is four times faster than the rest of the world (Rantananen et al., 2022).

Normally, a snow- and ice-covered Arctic would reflect most of the incoming solar radiation back to space, thereby helping to regulate global temperature.

However, as the ice melts, more heat is absorbed and the more the planet warms. Sea level rise, however, is not the only effect of this warming felt in the Pacific.

In recent years, one of the other main concerns in the Pacific relates to storms. The same warming that drives Greenlandic and sea ice melt also enables the atmosphere to hold more moisture.

This added moisture increases the potency of storms (IPCC AR6 WG1, 2021). In addition to greater wind speeds, these stronger storms bring increased precipitation, higher storm surges and greater flooding.

The Pacific islands are united in their reliance upon the marine biome for food and sustenance. However, rising seas and warming temperatures are two factors that change the local waters, which can exacerbate food insecurity and economic struggles. Secondary factors like this have impacted the region’s preparedness and ability to recover from disasters.

Socio-economic impacts of climate change have a negative impact on people’s livelihoods and wider economies.