Solomon's Town First in Pacific to Relocate Due to Climate Change

Under threat from rising sea levels and tsunamis, the authorities of a provincial capital in the Solomon Islands have decided to relocate from a small island in the first such case in the Pacific islands.

Choiseul, a township of around 1,000 people on Taro Island, a coral atoll in Choiseul Bay, is less than two meters (6.6 feet) above sea level.  Its vulnerability to storm surges and tsunamis caused by earthquakes is expected to be compounded in the future by rising seas.

Aware of these risks, communities in Choiseul Bay consulted a team of engineers, scientists and planners, funded by the Australian government, on how best to adapt to the impact of climate change.

It was decided they would take disaster prevention measures in the short term but also build a new town on an adjacent mainland where the population will be moved in stages.
The threat posed by climate change has promoted other relocation initiatives in the region.

The Kiribati government, which sees relocation as an option of last resort, is pursuing a policy it calls "migration with dignity".

It plans to help establish expatriate communities that can absorb and support more Kiribati migrants in future.

Elsewhere, some 2,000 people are being permanently resettled from the tiny, low-lying islet of Han in the Carteret Atoll of Papua New Guinea to mainland Bougainville, a three-hour ride on a wooden boat, due to salt intrusion and king tides eroding shores and making farming difficult.


But the Choiseul project is the first time that a provincial capital with all its services and facilities will be relocated in the Pacific Islands, the planners said.

Solomon's Town First in Pacific to Relocate Due to Climate Change