Abstract:
Changes in climate have significant effects on the ecosystem goods and services upon which nationals of Small Island Developing States rely for their survival. As sea levels continue to rise, disappearance of such islands becomes an incumbent reality posing conceptual challenges for statehood and sovereignty. Although causality has not been proven, a compromised environment could be the driver for cross-border displacement of peoples causing fundamental disruptions in societal structures and global governance at large. Given the novelty of the phenomenon of “disappearing states” and existing resettlement policies, the present research inquires how international law will incorporate disappearance of SIDS into its framework with minimum disruption and instability in global governance.
