Household vulnerability on the frontline of climate change: the Pacific atoll nation of Tuvalu

Abstract

This paper investigates the vulnerability of households to climatic disasters in the low-lying atoll nation of Tuvalu. Small Island Developing States, particularly the atoll nations, are the most vulnerable to climatic change, and in particular to sea-level rise and its associated risks. Using the most recent household surveys available, we construct poverty and hardship profiles for households on the different islands of Tuvalu, and combine these with geographic and topographic information to assess the exposure differentials among different groups using spatial econometric models. Besides the observation that poor households are more vulnerable to negative shocks because they lack the resources to respond, we also find that they are also more likely to reside in areas highly exposed to disasters (closer to the coasts and at lower elevation) and have less ability to migrate (between and within the islands).

Rethinking the role of sovereign wealth funds in small island developing states: evidence from Tuvalu and Kiribati

“…Small island developing states (SIDS) are very vulnerable to climatic disasters. Many studies point to the exposure of the Pacific islands countries to climatic risks due to their economic, geographical, and environmental characteristics (see World Bank ; OECD and World Bank ; Taupo et al ), which can cause massive financial losses (Briguglio ; Heger et al ; Klomp and Valckx ). Even cyclones that do not make landfall have economic impacts on these small islands, particularly Tuvalu (see Taupo and Noy ).…”

Sustainable financing for climate and disaster resilience in Atoll Islands: Evidence from Tuvalu and Kiribati

“…Numerous studies point out the unique exposure of the Pacific Islands to risks due to their economic, geographical, and environmental vulnerabilities (see OECD & World Bank, ; Taupo, Cuffe, & Noy, ; World Bank, ). These intertwined vulnerabilities can reverse development efforts in these Pacific atoll islands (Victoriano, ).…”

At the Very Edge of a Storm: The Impact of a Distant Cyclone on Atoll Islands

“…This measure is consistent with the official poverty measure used by the Government of Tuvalu. More details regarding poverty measures in Tuvalu are available from Taupo et al (2016) Hence, we refer to the poverty incidence as the percentage of those households who fall below the basic needs consumption level. Overall, 81% of the reported income accrues to the nonpoor, though almost 34% of expenditures are consumed by poor households.…”

“…It is often represented as the probability of occurrence of hazardous events^; Hazard refers to the Bpotential occurrence of a natural or human-induced physical event or trend or physical impact that may cause loss of life, injury, or other health impacts, as well as damage and loss to property, infrastructure, livelihoods, service provision, ecosystems, and environment resources^; Exposure is the Bpresence of people, livelihoods, species or ecosystems, environmental functions, services, and resources, infrastructure, or economic, social, or cultural assets in places and settings that could be adversely affected^; and Vulnerability is define as the Bpropensity of predisposition to be adversely affected…including sensitivity or susceptibility to harm and lack of capacity to cope and adapt^ (Cavallo and Noy 2011;Noy 2016;Taupo et al 2016;Yonson et al 2016;World Bank and GFDRR 2013;UNISDR 2009;United Nations 2015;Wisner et al 2011;Wisner et al 2003).…”

“…2 Tuvalu is extremely vulnerable to disasters, even by SIDS standards, due to its small geographical size, insularity and exceptional remoteness, the concentration of economic activities and settlements along low-lying coastal areas, the narrow width of islands, the very limited natural resource base, a heavy reliance on subsistence agriculture and inadequate disaster mitigation capabilities. 3 An analysis of the 2010 Tuvalu Household Income and Expenditure Survey shows that a large proportion of poor households reside near areas prone to cyclone surges (Taupo et al 2016).…”