{"id":60012,"date":"2026-04-13T07:08:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T07:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/04\/13\/informal-settlements-in-pacific-islands-grapple-with-climate-extremes-global-issues-2\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T07:08:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T07:08:55","slug":"informal-settlements-in-pacific-islands-grapple-with-climate-extremes-global-issues-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/04\/13\/informal-settlements-in-pacific-islands-grapple-with-climate-extremes-global-issues-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Informal settlements in Pacific Islands grapple with climate extremes &#8211; Global Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content\">\n<figure class=\"img-with-caption ips-feature-image\"><figcaption>When two cyclones, Judy and Kevin, struck Port Vila, Vanuatu in March 2023, buildings and structures in the Fresvota settlement were most vulnerable to destruction. Credit: Katherine Wilson\/IPS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul id=\"author-page-update\" class=\"small secondary\">\n<li class=\"author\">By Katherine Wilson (<span class=\"city\">sydney<\/span>)<\/li>\n<li><time datetime=\"2026-04-13\">Monday, April 13, 2026<\/time><\/li>\n<li class=\"news-source\">inter press service<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>SYDNEY, Apr 13 (IPS) &#8211; Growing cycles of poverty and extreme weather threaten many towns and cities in the Pacific Islands, especially those located on the coasts. Urban centers in the Pacific region have grown at unprecedented rates this century, placing increasing pressure on national resources for urban planning. But governments are now making progress toward improving the lives of people in the informal settlements that dominate urban sprawl in some of the region&#8217;s largest cities.\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe threat is already serious and growing,\u201d said Pasha Carruthers, climate change loss and damage advisor at the Organization for Regional Development. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spc.int\/\">Pacific Community (SPC)<\/a>Told the IPS. &#8220;For many households, recurring floods, extreme heat and infrastructure damage are pushing them into cycles of loss and damage, where recovery is incomplete and vulnerabilities deepen over time. Without targeted interventions, climate change will rapidly erode human development gains and further entrench urban poverty.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Today <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/population.un.org\/wup\/countryprofiles?country=World&amp;mainCategory=Countries%20and%20Aggregates&amp;subCategory=Urbanization%20-%20\">80 percent<\/a> According to the United Nations report, most of the world&#8217;s population lives in towns and cities. in comparison, about <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fukuoka.unhabitat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/State-of-Urbanization-in-the-Blue-Pacific-Report_Jun2025_Online.pdf\">30 percent<\/a> Pacific Islanders are urban dwellers. But, overall, the urban growth rate in the region is much higher than the global average. According to the report, urban centers are growing at 4.5 percent per year in the Solomon Islands, 4.1 percent in Papua New Guinea and 2.4 percent in Vanuatu, much higher than the global average of 1.4 percent. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/SP.URB.GROW?locations=PG-SB-VU\">World Bank.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The long history of Pacific Islanders, particularly in Melanesia, has been predominantly rural and the influx of people, particularly younger generations, into urban centers has been driven by the modernization objectives of post-independence governments in the 20th century. They promise jobs, cash income, access to hospitals and higher education, and a more exciting lifestyle.<\/p>\n<p>But developing island nations have, for decades, struggled with limited budgets, resources and expertise to invest in urban planning. The lack of affordable housing, the expense of building construction and the scarcity of owned and serviced land have contributed to the organic growth of unplanned illegal settlements. For low-income people, they provide the only viable housing. But, at the same time, settlers face poor security of title to the land where they are living and, in some cases, illegal occupation of state or customary owned land and the absence of services such as electricity, water, sanitation and waste management.<\/p>\n<p>From 2010 to 2020, more than 23,000 new buildings were built in informal settlements, but only 6,500 buildings were built in formal residential areas in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea (PNG), where an estimated half of residents live in settlements, reports. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pngnri.org\/images\/Publications\/Spotlight_Vol._15_Issue_8_NEW.pdf\">PNG National Research Institute<\/a>. In the neighboring Solomon Islands, the city of Honiara is growing at 6\u20138 percent per year, with the settlements, which are growing at 12 percent, home to almost half the population. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au\/server\/api\/core\/bitstreams\/aaed9a27-1b0c-4e32-a2be-edcd5b70e294\/content\">40 percent<\/a> Of its population, Australian National University reports.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-with-caption wp-caption pull-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.globalissues.org\/ips\/2026\/04\/CE-Wilson-Image-2-Eight-Mile-Settlement-Port-Moresby-PNG.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-194733\" class=\"wp-image-194733\" alt=\"Eight Mile Settlement, a large informal community of about 25,000 people, is located on the northeastern outskirts of Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. Credit: Katherine Wilson\/IPS\" width=\"630\" height=\"473\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.globalissues.org\/ips\/2026\/04\/CE-Wilson-Image-2-Eight-Mile-Settlement-Port-Moresby-PNG.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/static.globalissues.org\/ips\/2026\/04\/CE-Wilson-Image-2-Eight-Mile-Settlement-Port-Moresby-PNG-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static.globalissues.org\/ips\/2026\/04\/CE-Wilson-Image-2-Eight-Mile-Settlement-Port-Moresby-PNG-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/static.globalissues.org\/ips\/2026\/04\/CE-Wilson-Image-2-Eight-Mile-Settlement-Port-Moresby-PNG-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.globalissues.org\/ips\/2026\/04\/CE-Wilson-Image-2-Eight-Mile-Settlement-Port-Moresby-PNG-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/static.globalissues.org\/ips\/2026\/04\/CE-Wilson-Image-2-Eight-Mile-Settlement-Port-Moresby-PNG-629x472.jpg 629w, https:\/\/static.globalissues.org\/ips\/2026\/04\/CE-Wilson-Image-2-Eight-Mile-Settlement-Port-Moresby-PNG-200x149.jpg 200w\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-194733\">Eight Mile Settlement, a large informal community of about 25,000 people, is located on the northeastern outskirts of Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. Credit: Katherine Wilson\/IPS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Now, many settlements, located on disaster-prone marginal lands, are at the urban edge of climate damage. According to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization report, in the southwest Pacific during this century, &#8216;the total number of tropical cyclones may decline, but the impact of tropical cyclones will increase due to increased average intensity and more intense rainfall and more coastal flooding due to sea level rise.&#8217; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rccap.org\/climate-change-update-for-the-pacific\/\">(CSIRO).<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The destruction they can wreak on coastal cities was highlighted when two <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2023-03-04\/vanuatu-hit-by-two-quakes-two-cyclones-in-two-days\/102053752\">category 4 cyclone<\/a>Judy and Kevin landed in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, three years ago. They left a trail of destruction in damaged roads, buildings and infrastructure, the loss of food gardens around the city, and increased poverty in the city&#8217;s slums.<\/p>\n<p>In Fresvota, a settlement of about 12,000 people on the outskirts of Port Vila, the most threatened dwellings collapsed, others lost roofs and walls, leaving many people facing severe flooding and loss of local income and even access to clean water. Chief Ken Hiwo, a community leader in Freswota, recalled at the time, &#8220;When we have a cyclone the most vulnerable people in the settlements are the elderly, those in poor health or with medical conditions and those who have no relatives.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Nearly two years later, the Fresvota community was again among those devastated. As residents faced extreme rainfall during the wet season, the magnitude of which was 7.3 <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org.au\/stories\/vanuatu-earthquakes-cause-widespread-devastation\">Earthquake<\/a> The attack took place in December 2024 near Port Vila, a city of about 64,000 people. It resulted in deaths and injuries, while collapses and damage occurred to homes, schools, hospitals and roads. Infrastructure losses for the country were estimated at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/myvanuatudirectory.com\/vanuatu-earthquake-2024\/\">200 million usd<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the last two years, we have experienced a lot of flooding and rain,\u201d Kathy Hivo, Ken&#8217;s wife, told IPS in recent days. &#8220;But when we had a lot of rain, we also experienced earthquakes. Houses and buildings were damaged, businesses had to be closed and many people were affected. Many lost their livelihoods.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Even today, &#8220;We&#8217;re still in shock \u2013 we&#8217;re still trying to build back up. We&#8217;re still trying to get back to our normal lives,&#8221; she added.<\/p>\n<p>Upgrading Fresvota into a climate-resilient community is critical to achieving the country&#8217;s sustainable development goals <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/globalgoals.org\/goals\/11-sustainable-cities-and-communities\/\">(SDG) 11<\/a>Which calls for building resilient, safe and sustainable cities by 2030.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the most urgent measures is for governments to formally recognize informal settlements within urban planning, climate adaptation and disaster risk management systems, such as early warning systems and basic service networks,\u201d Carruthers told IPS. And &#8220;community-led risk mapping, secure tenure pathways and inclusive planning processes are essential so that residents become partners in the solution.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And significant political will is emerging to make strong urban growth a reality in many Pacific Island countries. For example, the Government of Vanuatu has begun to implement <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mol.gov.vu\/index.php\/component\/content\/?view=article&amp;id=36&amp;catid=2&amp;Itemid=280\">Vanuatu Affordable and Resilient Settlement (VARS) Project<\/a> To improve land management and living conditions in Port Vila&#8217;s 23 settlements with development including improved drainage, roads, water, sanitation and waste services.<\/p>\n<p>Reforming land ownership policies is also important to increase affordable housing for long-term climate resilience. This means reconciling land ownership issues with the need to expand urban residential areas and associated infrastructure. Carruthers advocates, &#8220;serving more land through partnerships with customary landowners, investing in climate-resilient social housing and supporting incremental housing upgrades that reflect how low-income households actually build over time&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>PNG is also driving reforms with a joint initiative between the Municipal Authority for Port Moresby and the National Housing Corporation to relocate informal settlements to formal suburbs with similar infrastructure and basic services. In April last year&#8217;<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncdc.gov.pg\/media\/city_sivarai\/governor-parkop-8-mile-transformation-work-commence-to-be-upgraded-into-a-suburb.html\">settlement in suburbia<\/a> The project was launched in the Eight Mile settlement, a sprawling community of about 25,000 people located on the northeastern outskirts of PNG&#8217;s capital. &#8216;Unplanned settlements have been with us for too long and this phase needs to end. Our people deserve a better standard of living and a good quality of life. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncdc.gov.pg\/media\/city_sivarai\/governor-parkop-8-mile-transformation-work-commence-to-be-upgraded-into-a-suburb.html\">Powys Parkop<\/a>The Governor of the National Capital District (Port Moresby) told the media.<\/p>\n<p>IPS UN Bureau Report<\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a9 Inter Press Service (20260413062616) &#8211; All rights reserved<\/em>. <cite class=\"original\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ipsnews.net\/2026\/04\/informal-settlements-grapple-with-climate-extremes-in-pacific-islands\/\">Original source: Inter Press Service<\/a><\/cite><\/p>\n<aside id=\"after-content\">\n<h2>Where next?<\/h2>\n<section class=\"box\" id=\"where-next-group\">\n<div class=\"tabs\">\n<div id=\"tab-content-news-headlines-related-categories\" role=\"tabpanel\">\n<h3 class=\"tab-heading\">related news<\/h3>\n<p>Browse related news topics:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tab-content-news-headlines-latest\" role=\"tabpanel\">\n<h3 class=\"tab-heading\">latest news<\/h3>\n<p>Read latest news stories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Informal settlements in Pacific islands grapple with climate extremes<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Monday, April 13, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Putting humans at the center: UN AI panel begins work on global impact study<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Saturday, 11 April 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Israeli attacks in Iran and Lebanon raise concerns of broader regional instability<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Friday, April 10, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Will Sierra Leone&#8217;s democracy make room for persons with disabilities?<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Friday, April 10, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Stepping up against sexual harassment in Kenyan slums has an unexpected ally: Landlords StandFirst<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Friday, April 10, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">New era for space begins with return of Artemis astronauts<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Friday, April 10, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Haiti&#8217;s liberation demands urgent global action as millions face hunger and violence<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Friday, April 10, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Sudan: 14 million displaced; Attacks on hunger and health continue as war enters fourth year<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Friday, April 10, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Lebanon airstrike casualties &#8216;still in debris&#8217; as ambulances, hospitals face new threats<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Friday, April 10, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"hedline-main\">Middle East Live April 10: Fear and uncertainty grow as conflict escalates in Lebanon<\/span> <span class=\"datetime\">Friday, April 10, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tab-content-news-headlines-related-in-depth\" role=\"tabpanel\">\n<h3 class=\"tab-heading\">depth in<\/h3>\n<p>Learn more about related issues:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"social-bookmarks\">\n<h2>share this<\/h2>\n<section class=\"box\">\n<p>Bookmark it or share it with others using some popular social bookmarking web sites:<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<details id=\"link-to-here\">\n<summary>\n<h2>Link this page to your site\/blog<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n<section class=\"box\">\n<p>Add the following HTML code to your page:<\/p>\n<pre><code><p>Informal Settlements Grapple With Climate Extremes in Pacific Islands, <cite>Inter Press Service<\/cite>, Monday, April 13, 2026 (posted by Global Issues)<\/p><\/code><\/pre>\n<p>&#8230;to produce it:<\/p>\n<p class=\"result copy-code-to-clipboard\">Informal settlements in the Pacific Islands are struggling with extreme climate, <cite>inter press service<\/cite>Monday, April 13, 2026 (Posted by Global Issues)<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When two cyclones, Judy and Kevin, struck Port Vila, Vanuatu in March 2023, buildings and structures in the Fresvota settlement were most vulnerable to destruction. Credit: Katherine Wilson\/IPS By Katherine Wilson (sydney) Monday, April 13, 2026 inter press service SYDNEY, Apr 13 (IPS) &#8211; Growing cycles of poverty and extreme weather threaten many towns and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[1356,13182,99,12186,20232,3225,2256,4638,3544],"class_list":["post-60012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bible-news","tag-climate","tag-extremes","tag-global","tag-grapple","tag-informal","tag-islands","tag-issues","tag-pacific","tag-settlements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60012"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60017,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60012\/revisions\/60017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}