Changing Vulnerability to Climate Change and Health Impacts in an Outer Island in Kiribati: A Qualitative Study

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Purpose: The objective of this research is to investigate climate change impacts and resilience strategies in an outer island community in Kiribati, a Pacific nation highly vulnerable to environmental changes.
Originality: This research is the first ethnographic investigation in outer islands of Kiribati regarding the influence of climate change on the islanders’ life and health.
Methodology: Using a qualitative, ethnographic approach, we explore community perceptions of climate change, health impacts, and local adaptations to environmental stressors. A purposive sampling of 48 households and five primary healthcare providers was conducted to gather insights into how residents experience and respond to challenges such as coastal erosion, water scarcity, food insecurity, and health risks. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews in I-Kiribati and English, focusing on three core domains: perceptions of climate risk, identification of vulnerable groups, and the role of social networks in resilience.
Result: The findings highlight a high level of climate change awareness, with participants describing the loss of land, increasingly unpredictable weather, and rising salinity as immediate threats to their livelihoods. Coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion have significantly reduced arable land and freshwater resources, forcing islanders to relocate and rely on communal water tanks. Health impacts include increased prevalence of waterborne diseases, respiratory issues, and heat stress, exacerbated by limited healthcare resources. Additionally, rising sea temperatures and ecological changes have disrupted fishing, a vital food source, leading to greater reliance on imported goods. Despite these challenges, social networks, known locally as “macoro,” play a crucial role in resilience, facilitating communal water sharing, labor for relocating homes, and collective resource management. However, the community also expresses climate anxiety and a desire for external support to develop sustainable adaptation strategies.
Conclusions and Implication: The findings of this research underscore the need for culturally sensitive, community-driven adaptation policies that address the specific vulnerabilities of Kiribati’s outer islands. This study contributes to understanding resilience in Pacific atoll communities, highlighting the value of traditional support networks and the urgent need for targeted interventions to mitigate climate impacts and support adaptive capacity.