Cook Islands

Population: 13,132
GDP: $183.2 million (2005 est.)
Total Area: 236 sq km
Annual carbon emissions per capita: 5.33
Annual carbon emissions as percent of world's total: .0002%

VIDEO: David Ngatae on climate change in the Cook Islands

“Sea-level rise, changes in storm intensity and frequency, temperature, precipitation and storm surges are components of climate change that will potentially have a great impact on the coastal area over the coming years. This could be devastating for the Cook Islands, as all of the population is dependent on the coastal areas in one way or another. Rising sea levels could inundate low-lying areas, erode shores and increase saltwater intrusion into ground water supplies to which much of the Cook Islands is already vulnerable.”
--“The Cook Islands - an Ocean and Coastal Environment”, Tiempo Climate Newswatch, 2004