Vanuatu

Population: 209,222
GDP: $988.5 million (2008 est.)
Total Area: 12,189 sq km
Annual carbon emissions per capita: 0.53
Annual carbon emissions as percent of world's total: .0004%

(1) Climate change
• Increased number of earthquakes
• Heavy rainfalls cause floods, soil erosion, garden crops damage
• Increased number of logging companies for timber production
• Continuous cultural and traditional way of clearing forest for gardening
• Continuous sea level rise causes water to move inland

(2) Effects of climate change
• Landslides and damages to buildings and other infrastructures such as roads and bridges
• Deforestation and lack of replanting of trees by some companies
• Continuous deforestation creates fewer environments for wild animals

(3) Effects of climate change on health
• Increase in respiratory infections
• Increase in malaria in non-malaria-free areas
• Diarrhea continues to affect children
• Malnutrition continues to increase in children
--Climate Change Country Profile: Vanuatu, World Health Organization, 2007

“Carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (DFD) account for 20-30% of global carbon emissions. Vanuatu, like other Pacific Island Nations, is endowed with tropical forest, much of which is yet undisturbed by logging. Mitigating climate change by avoiding emissions from DFD in developing countries must address the underlying causes of deforestation in those countries, which are commonly associated with demand for basic economic development at the local and/or national level.”

(Climate change is initiating deforestation on Vanuatu as citizens begin moving inland to avoid beach erosion)
--The Vanuatu Carbon Credits Project, Dev-Zone-Development Recourse Centre, October 2007

“In late 2005, an entire coastal village in northern Vanuatu was relocated to higher ground—one hundred residents of Tegua Island became the first climate change refugees.”
--“Climate change a real threat to Vanuatu”, Act Now-The Inspire Foundation, August 26, 2008