An Introduction to Solomon Islands

Situated northeast of Australia and east of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands are comprised of 992 individual islands, with approximately one-third of them being inhabited.1 In 2022, the population was reported at 724,270.2 The Solomon Islands rank second in world's most at-risk countries to climate disaster3 and ninth in exposure. Since 1993, the sea level has risen by an average of 8 mm annually.4 Currently, over 60% of the population lives within 1 kilometer of the coast.5 The climate in the Solomon Islands is predominantly tropical, characterized by high humidity and rainfall. Its geographical position makes it prone to natural disasters such as cyclones and tsunamis, posing significant risks to its population. Tropical storms are also becoming more frequent and intense, with the islands specifically vulnerable to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, resulting in unpredictable rainfall patterns.6 Climate change is also anticipated to impact the country's coastal resources, including increased ocean acidification, sea level rise, and coral bleaching, raising both ecological and economic concerns. With a GDP of $1.9 billion USD7 , agriculture, forestry, and fishing contribute to approximately 35% of this value8 , with revenue from tuna specifically accounting for 18% of GDP.9 A large proportion of the total employment is in agriculture, at 70%, equivalent to the incomes and livelihoods of 186,900 people in the region.10 Fishing is widespread, in rural areas of Solomon Islands, 68% of households report catching fish or shellfish, and in urban areas one-third of all households reported the same.11 Such populations and sectors of the economy are especially vulnerable to the effects of the growing climate crisis in the region. 

Mapping Major Climate Events and Climate-Induced Displacement

The Solomon Islands are highly susceptible to the effects of climate change, ranking among the lowest countries in terms of climate readiness at 148th out of 182 countries in the 2021 ND-GAIN Index.12 Over the past decades, the Solomon Islands have experienced an increase in the frequency and intensity of cyclones and flooding events, resulting in significant displacement and damage to infrastructure. Cyclones, flash floods, and various climate events have severely impacted Solomon Islanders, displacing 15,000 from 2008-2014, and 3,600 between 2015-2023.13 Such disasters and impacts in recent years include the April 2014 flash flooding in the capital of Honiara and the eastern Guadalcanal Plains that left 9,000 homeless14 and Tropical Cyclone Harold in April 2020, which hit four Pacific Island nations—the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Tonga, displacing over 100,000 people across the islands.15 Cyclone winds represent the Solomon Islands’ highest displacement risk, with a 64% probability that one will displace 68,000 people in the next 50 years.16 Additionally, the rise in informal settlements are further constraining communities' capacity to navigate the consequences of climate change. For instance, Micronesian groups, who resettled in the 1960s, were rarely given formal land ownership rights. Consequently, when Kiribati communities faced tsunami impacts in 2007, aid agencies informed them that their community structures could not be reconstructed using aid funds due to the absence of legal land ownership, resulting in inadequate infrastructure and widespread displacement.17 Despite events such as this, the government has been slow to heed calls for decentralized power18 and local land ownership. 

Mapping the Costs of the Climate Crisis

The GDP per capita of the Solomon Islands is relatively low, at $2,205 (2022)19 , reflecting its status as a developing nation, and its staggering vulnerability to climate shocks.  The islands’ Total Average Annual Losses (AAL) due to climate change is $79 million USD, equivalent to 8.69 % of the nation’s GDP, not including the losses attributed to agricultural drought.20 In April 2014, flash flooding internally displaced over 10,000 people and caused damages estimated at US $107.8 million, equivalent to 9.2% of the Solomon Islands’ GDP.21 The flooding caused significant damage to major infrastructure, completely destroying approximately 675 houses and the food gardens that many people in the region depend on for food access.22 Urbanization and land degradation due to logging and mining contribute to and exacerbate vulnerabilities brought on by such events, and hinder the possibility of climate-resilient agri-food systems. For example, the rate of logging has resulted in environmental deterioration, biodiversity depletion, and negative impacts on local communities reliant on forest-based subsistence farming, with current logging activities exceeding the annual sustainable harvesting rate of 19 times23 the recommendation. Logging, alongside international trade and fishing across Pacific waters, have proven to be both environmentally and economically costly for the Solomon Islands. Coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion affect agriculture and freshwater resources, further impacting livelihoods and food security, especially for vulnerable coastal communities. The Asian Development Bank study estimated an economic loss of up to 4.7% of annual GDP in Solomon Islands by 2100 brought on climate-linked impacts on agricultural and fishing industries.24 Climate-induced droughts  also pose a substantial economic risk, with the vulnerability and exposure to droughts largely determined by the significance of the agricultural sector.

Mapping Resilience and Mitigation Pathways

The Solomon Islands have committed to various international initiatives aimed at addressing climate change, including the Paris Agreement  in 2016. Mitigation strategies focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing resilience to climate impacts, exemplified by its first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which pledged to decrease emissions to 12% below 2015 levels by 2025 and to 30% below 2015 levels by 2030, relative to a business-as-usual projection.25 In 2019, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, Solomon Islands completed the Transport Sector Flood Recovery Project, which helped reinstate bridge approach roads, culverts, and stream crossings and rebuilt three elevated bridges following the onslaught of Cyclone Ita in 2014.26 The Mberanda and Mbalasuna bridges, among the three constructed with decks elevated above both historical and anticipated flood levels, offer direct advantages to approximately 7,300 households and 39,000 individuals residing in East Guadalcanal.27 Further efforts include promoting renewable energy sources, improving disaster preparedness and response, and implementing mangrove restoration and coastal protection measures. The government is also working to integrate local climate considerations into national policies and development plans. Traditional leaders of the Ontong Java and Sikaiana regions have drawn needed attention to low fresh water supply and taro crop stagnancy as their islands begin to navigate the full effects of climate change.28

Necessary Changes

While progress has been made in resilience-building and mitigation efforts, more significant national commitments are needed to address the scale of the climate crisis in the Solomon Islands. While most villages in the Solomon Islands have developed operational disaster response committees29 , the national government appears distant, and local leadership require support to enhance their capabilities.30 Hence, fostering intergovernmental connections and adequately funding local institutions is imperative. Initiatives such as carbon credits have recently been introduced to the region.31 Early warning infrastructure is an essential resilience measure, and would also help to mitigate damages caused by earthquake-induced tsunamis. Neighboring islands such as Papua New Guinea serve as a cautionary tale worth heading, as “carbon colonization” often further jeopardizes the agency of Pacific islanders, with carbon trade partners failing to obtain informed consent and engaging in several exploitative practices.32 Further, with the widespread Indigenous land tenure largely unrecognized by the government, land-use and carbon credit initiatives must be designed with these complexities in mind and ideally include conflict resolution plans that center the needs and rights of Indigenous communities, exemplifying the need to center traditional knowledge and expertise as a core mitigation pathway. It is also critical to address the role of international actors in the Solomon Islands’ most extractive industries, timber, oil and mineral exploitation, sectors that have brought civil conflict and ecological destruction33 alongside economic growth. Collaboration between the government, local and Indigenous groups, and international partners is essential to achieve lasting climate justice and resilience in the Solomon Islands.