French Polynesia

Population: 274,867
GDP: $4.718 billion (2004 est.)
Total Area: 4,167 sq km
Annual carbon emissions per capita: 3.38
Annual carbon emissions as percent of world's total: .0032%

“Over the coming decades, the international scientific community predicts increasing average annual temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and intensification of tropical cyclones. Due to its geographical characteristics and main economic activities, French Polynesia is particularly vulnerable to all of these likely impacts. With its South Pacific neighbors (mostly small island developing states), French Polynesia is one of the most sensitive countries in the world to the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases.

In spite of French Polynesia's high vulnerability, there is limited data on the local impacts of climate change, and what knowledge exists is very fragmented. Adapting to climate change will be unavoidable for all South Pacific nations, and yet there is no specific strategy in place to guide French Polynesia through this challenging period.”
--Baseline Study on Climate Change in French Polynesia, Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station-UC Berkeley, 2009