Not Just ‘Sinking Islands
Climate Change and Adaptation in Small Island Developing States
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6344303 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Virginia De Biasio (0000-0003-4140-8478, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, University of York, York, UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1370-1391 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00323217241298848 |
| OpenAlex | W4405002518 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 67 |
Small Island Developing States are among the countries which are hit the most by climate change, and especially by sea-level rise. In this article, I argue against the narrative focused on plans for collective relocation for the populations of Small Island Developing States. I argue that focusing exclusively on relocation leads us to endorse a ‘doomsday’ approach, which normalises the inevitability of territory loss, and obscures theoretically distinct and pressing problems related to how to tackle the current environmental issues and resource scarcity affecting those countries. In the first part of the article, I argue that adaptation efforts, which are systematically neglected in the dominant political theory literature about Small Island Developing States, should be prioritised over plans for relocation. In the second part of the article, I start to cast light on some of the normative dilemmas raised by a close focus on adaptation, and I defend a community-based approach to adaptation in Small Island Developing States
Adaptation (eye · Climate change · Climate change adaptation · Developing country · Development economics · Economic geography · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental resource management · Geography · Normative · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Relocation · Scarcity · Small Island Developing States · Sociology · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Disaster Management and Resilience · Ecology · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · Law
Justice and Natural Resources
Territorial Sovereignty
Ethics and Global Climate Change
Floating Provisos and Sinking Islands
Reclaiming open climate adaptation futures
Relocation planning must address voluntary immobility
Epistemic injustice in Climate Adaptation
The Other of Climate Change
Development as Freedom
Climate migration myths
Climate change, food security and health in Kiribati
Inequality Reexamined
Wellbeing, place and technology
Beyond “benefits”? Looking at ecosystem services through the capability approach
Drowning under
Give it up for climate change
Small island perspectives on climate change
The place where I live is where I belong”
Indigenous Struggles, Environmental Justice, and Community Capabilities
Adapting water resources to climate change in Kiribati
Who defines atoll ‘uninhabitability’
Climate change and the duties of the advantaged
When does attachment to natural resources count
Voluntary immobility and existential security in a changing climate in the Pacific
The dilemmas of normalising losses from climate change
Environmental Refugees
Adaptation to Climate Change in Small Island Developing States
Mental preparation for climate adaptation
Addressing human vulnerability to climate change
Cosmopolitan Justice, Responsibility, and Global Climate Change
The Right to Relocation
The Ethical Implications of Sea-Level Rise Due to Climate Change
When is Migration Voluntary
Territorial Instability and the Right to a Livable Locality
Repositioning the (Is)land
From community-based to locally led adaptation
Justice and Internal Displacement
Immigration, Global Poverty and the Right to Stay
New territorial rights for sinking island states
Climate change and displacement
Migration, Climate Change, and Voluntariness
Climate Change 2022 - Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
Wellbeing, Freedom and Social Justice
The first climate refugees? Contesting global narratives of climate change in Tuvalu
Women and Human Development
Wishful sinking
Governing climate displacement
Climate mobilities
Labor Migration and Climate Change Adaptation
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |