The Changing Landscape of Climate Change: NAMAs, SIDS and Tourism

Abstract

Small islands have been identified by a number of sources as being particularly vulnerable to climate change—an ironic outcome given that their contribution to historic and present global warming is negligible. Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), which are intended to be at the centre of some actions on low carbon development pathways have their roots in the Bali Action Plan of 2007 and emphasise the role of the UNFCCC theme of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ in global efforts to tackle climate change. The present paper looks at progress by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in submitting NAMAs to UNFCCC. The research, which is a work in progress, shows that whilst tourism is vitally important to many SIDS, submissions so far seem to have neglected tourism and seems to indicate a weakness in the framework of NAMAs in relation to sector-specific plans thus reducing their effectiveness in achieving reduced emissions at the level of small nation state.