Pacific islands urged to pool traditional knowledge and diverse practices to provide climate security solutions

George Carter, from the Australian National University, speaks before participants at the Security in the Pacific forum hosted by the Pacific Security College in Brisbane on March 19 and 20, 2026. Photo courtesy of PSC

By Pacific Island Times News Staff

Pacific island nations must leverage their diverse traditional knowledge to complement modern solutions to threats posed by climate change, security experts said.

They noted that while Pacific islands share common cultural values and face the same threats, each has a unique set of traits, making the region a valuable resource and venue for knowledge exchange.

“There is no single, cookie-cutter model that fits all climate security contexts in the Pacific," said Akka Rimon, a fellow at Pacific Security College Research and Engagement.

"The region’s diversity of practices and experiences means we have far more to offer and more to draw from to strengthen our collective resilience," said the scholar from Kiribati.

Rimon was among the delegates to the two-day Climate Security in the Pacific course hosted by the Pacific Security College in Brisbane.

Security officials from across the Pacific gathered in Brisbane from March 19 to 20 to deepen their shared understanding of climate-driven security risks.

Rimon said the course provided an opportunity to unpack definitions of security in a climate context and understand the perspectives of countries as they grapple with the realities of security threats back home.

"We learn from what others have done in their own contexts and those insights give us additional safeguards to inform our own climate strategies," Rimon said.

The Climate Security in the Pacific course brought together more than 20 participants from 16 Pacific Islands Forum member countries. Photo courtesy of PSC

“It was encouraging to see participants share their experiences as well as the ways they have built resilience and developed strategies, many of which draw on approaches long embedded in their traditional knowledge systems,” she added.

The Pacific Islands are facing a severe climate change crisis, with rising sea levels, ocean warming and acidification posing significant threats to their existence and socioeconomic viability. According to the World Meteorological Organization's report, the region's average elevation is just one to two meters above sea level, and 90 percent of the population lives within 5 kilometers of the coast.

The Pacific Security College organized the forum in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program.

Organizers said the course, led by Salā Dr. George Carter from the Australian National University, "combined the latest research with facilitated discussions designed to support evidence-based decision-making."

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The program examined the links between climate and a range of security issues, with a focus on building participants’ knowledge and exploring how practical tools and solutions can be implemented in their respective countries.

Carter said the course drew references from the Boe Declaration on Regional Security, which acknowledges that climate change impacts threaten the livelihoods, well-being and security of Pacific peoples and encourages countries to implement strategies to respond to those challenges.

“There is an array of climate security courses out there, but this is the first that contextualizes the Pacific, not only in terms of the region, but also in allowing members to contextualize climate security impacts and risks within a country in the Pacific,” he said. 

Carter said participants explored how climate change impacts not only security systems, but also political systems.

"The hope is that participants develop their understanding of the climate-security nexus and how to advance this work within their national governments," he said.

“This course is unique because we introduce but also remind participants of the significance of values: cultural values, community values, but also Pacific values, such as respect, reciprocity and consensus," Carter added.

The Climate Security in the Pacific course brought together more than 20 participants from 16 Pacific Islands Forum member countries, including officials from a range of government departments and ministries, as well as from regional organizations.

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The program covered climate science; the impacts of climate change on environmental resources, infrastructure and public health; approaches to data collection; climate risk assessments; safeguarding state integrity; and developing effective responses to climate-related security pressures.

“Climate impacts do not land in a vacuum. They interact with and amplify existing social, political, cultural and governance dynamics, including inequalities, in ways that are never neutral and always shaped by context. Climate science is only half the picture," said Jamie Tarawa, UNDP climate security adviser to the Forum.

“A key message last week was that any Pacific approach to climate, peace and security must be grounded in traditional knowledge, customary systems and local peacebuilding foundations of resilience across the Pacific that if overlooked, risk maladaptive outcomes," Tarawa said.

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