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78 | RESILIENT COASTS

RISKS AND SOLUTIONS
What are potential ways

of climate adaptation

for the atolls?

Whether urban, rural or artificial, islands and atolls cannot adopt the same

climate change adaptation trajectories. Experts from OACIS are assessing
the most relevant adaptation scenarios.

How can the future habitability of atolls be envisaged The discussion was in line with the previous work car-
on the basis of climate scenarios? The assessment ried out by experts of The Ocean Solutions Initiative
of climate risks to the future habitability of the atoll is- group (2016-2020 and the Atoll Futures group (2019-
lands, in addition to adaptation measures, formed the 2021), supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco
focus of the international expert panel that met during Foundation, the IAEA and the initiative Ocean Aci-
Monaco Ocean Week brought together by the initia- dification and other Ocean Changes – Impacts and
tive Ocean Acidification and other Ocean Changes – Solutions (OACIS).
Impacts and Solutions (OACIS).
In addition to island erosion and submersion, resear-
In the offices of the International Atomic Energy chers identified a whole series of risk factors related to
Agency (IAEA), behind closed doors, the experts wor- the climate (storms…), to society (density of building,
ked over a 3-day period (22-24 March 2022) to define use of resources…) and to the differences between
the foundations of the methodological approach for ocean basins or the types of islands. All these ele-
this interdisciplinary study. Coordinated by Alexandre ments need to be combined to be able to assess the
K. Magnan, a geographer specialising in vulnerability future risks to atoll habitability.
and adaptation issues at the Institut du Développe-
ment Durable et des Relations Internationales (ID-
DRI-Sciences Po), the working sessions involved a
dozen experts employed by laboratories in France,
Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, some
participating remotely.