Seite - 384 - in Loss and Damage from Climate Change - Concepts, Methods and Policy Options

384 A.Heslin projections, low-lyingislandswillbeseverelynegativelyaffectedanduninhabitable, necessitating the relocation of their populations within the next 50 years. These impactswillhaveeconomic,political,andculturalconsequencesfor thepopulations ofmanyPacificnation-states. With rising seas and increased sea temperatures, islands face challenges to their economic production.Warmer oceans can damage coral reefs, decreasing tourism and fish production (Asian Development Bank 2013; Rosegrant et al. 2016), and changes in rainfall and saltwater inundation can affect freshwater lenses andcrop productionsuchascopraand taro (Barnett2011;Patel2006;TerryandChui2012). Additionally, out-migration from the islands removes higher-skilled laborers from thedomestic labourpool (BrownandConnell 2004).Politically, thecomplete relo- cationof islandpopulations raisesquestionsof sovereignty.Wherewill thepopula- tionsmove to, howwill their governments function outside their national territory, andwhatrightswill islandcitizenshaveinnewcountries(BarnettandAdger2003)? The short andmedium-term projections of climate change raisemany such polit- ical and economic questions for islands nations. While the challenges related to economic Loss&Damage and political sovereignty are indeed severe and worthy of attention, understandings of climate related Loss&Damagemust also take into account non-economic losses, including the effects of climate change on cultural heritageandpreservation.Evenifexistingstatesagreetohostrelocatedpopulations, themovement of populations can result in the loss of sacred or culturally signifi- cant locations and can affect cultural identity, language, and social structures (see chapter by Serdeczny 2018). Losses of culture or struggles of cultural integration are important for individual andcommunitywell-beingandcanalso, in turn, affect theeconomicandpoliticalcapacityof thepopulation.Understandingthechallenges and opportunities faced by existingPacific island diasporas offers valuable insight into thepotential futureofdisplaced islandnations. 16.2 Methods This study seeks to identify the avoidable and unavoidable risks posed to cultural heritage in the event of displacement. Todo so, this studydrawson in-depth inter- views ofmembers of the Pacific Islands diaspora to understand theways inwhich theymaintainculturalheritageoutsideof theircountryoforigin.UsingtheMarshall Islands(RepublicofMarshallIslands,RMI)asacasestudyforpotentialrelocationof populations, interviewswereconductedwithMarshallesecitizenswhohadmigrated to theUnitedStates.Theparticipantsansweredquestions regardingwhatmotivated them tomove to theUnitedStates,what aspects of life differedmarkedly from the Marshall Islands, andwhat challenges and opportunities they faced in adapting to living outside of theMarshall Islands. Participants in the interviewswere selected throughconvenience and snowball sampling, ensuring to includeparticipants from multiple areas of theU.S., not strictly thosewith largeMarshallese diaspora com-