SUVA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Pacific Island communities are increasingly being forced to relocate as the impacts of climate change worsen, yet many governments in the region still lack clear relocation policies to guide these difficult transitions.
Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS) Executive Director Vani Catanasiga said this policy gap has left families struggling to make decisions on their own as they face rising seas, stronger storms, and frequent flooding.
While Fiji has established formal relocation guidelines, she noted that many other Pacific countries have yet to follow suit, even as some villages are already losing land and livelihoods, as reported by the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation news website on Friday.
The Pacific Islands are among the world's most climate-vulnerable regions.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sea levels in the region are rising faster than the global average, and without drastic emission cuts, some low-lying atoll nations such as Kiribati, Tuvalu, and the Marshall Islands could become uninhabitable within the century.
In Fiji alone, more than 40 communities have been identified as needing relocation, with villages such as Vunidogoloa in Vanua Levu already moved inland due to coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion.
Catanasiga stressed that while state-led relocation processes can take years to implement, communities are living with immediate threats.
She highlighted the need for tools that empower people to respond quickly.
Resilience is not only about moving to safer ground but also about ensuring communities remain strong, cohesive, and supported during upheaval, Catanasiga said, adding that resilience requires both practical planning and attention to social and cultural well-being. ■