Atoll Island States exist on top of what is perceived to be one of the planet's most vulnerable ecosystems: atolls. It has been predicted that an increase in the pace of sea-level rise brought about by increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere will cause them to disappear, forcing their inhabitants to migrate. This seminar will focus on a multidisciplinary legal and engineering perspective on this problem, challenging some common misconceptions regarding atolls and their vulnerability to sea-level rise — the topic of the recently published book by the presenters, Lilian Yamamoto (Research Fellow at Ocean Policy Research Foundation) and Miguel Esteban (Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo). In fact, the survival of the islands is not threatened by sea-level rise itself, but the death of the coral reefs. Though it could theoretically be possible for the richer Atoll Island States to engineer ways to prevent their main islands from disappearing, sadly not all will have the required financial resources to do so.
As islands become progressively uninhabitable, their residents will be forced to settle in foreign lands, and hence discussions on practical legal solutions for the protection of the displaced people, and the possibility of acquiring small new territories, should be explored. This would make it possible for Atoll Island States in the future to keep some sort of international sovereign personality, which could benefit the descendents of their present day inhabitants.
For more information, please see the event announcement on the UNU-IAS website.
