Same same but different: Examining climate change impacts on human security in Vanuatu and Guam

Abstract

Global environmental change impacts human security in both Vanuatu and Guam – but in very different ways. This paper studies both regions through a thematic analysis of problem-centered expert interviews with local stakeholders. It provides a comprehensive assessment of pathways from environmental change to human insecurity in both regions. Climate change impacts are omnipresent in Vanuatu and coproduced by fast lifestyle change and developmental challenges. In contrast, Guam is a highly developed US territory. This reduces climate vulnerability but generates other forms of environmental change from heavy military and touristic use. The article argues that human insecurity on Vanuatu and Guam is coproduced by the interplay between economic and (post-)colonial factors and environmental change. This demonstrates that vulnerability and environmental degradation are by no means natural or inevitable, but strongly shaped by socio-economic contexts and histories. This builds an important bridge between human security, political economy, and postcolonial perspectives on environmental security.