Small island developing States (SIDS) face distinct challenges that render them particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on food and nutrition security including: small, and widely dispersed, land masses and populations; large rural populations; fragile natural environments and lack of arable land; high vulnerability to climate change, external economic shocks, and natural disasters; high dependence on food imports; dependence on a limited number of economic sectors; and distance from global markets. The majority of SIDS also face a ‘triple-burden’ of malnutrition whereby undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight and obesity exist simultaneously within a population, alongside increasing rates of diet-related NCDs.
Climate change is likely to exacerbate the tripleburden of malnutrition and the metabolic and lifestyle risk factors for diet-related NCDs. It is expected to reduce short- and long-term food and nutrition security both directly, through its effects on agriculture and fisheries, and indirectly, by contributing to underlying risk factors such as water insecurity, dependency on imported foods, urbanization and migration, and health service disruption. These impacts represent a significant health risk for SIDS, with their particular susceptibility to climate change impacts and already overburdened health systems, and this risk is distributed unevenly, with some population groups experiencing greater vulnerability.
In Dominica, temperature rise and changes in weather patterns have impacted the viability of key sectors: agriculture, fisheries and tourism (among others). The drought in 2010 caused massive losses in the agriculture sector. Changing temperatures are altering marine ecology and the viability of fish species. In 2005, a mass coral bleaching event destroyed 75% of the coral colonies in Dominica (8,33). In 2017, Hurricane Maria destroyed most of the foliage, leaving a brown and barren-looking landscape; most agricultural crops were destroyed and reliance on processed food imports grew, increasing susceptibility to noncommunicable diseases as well as generally affecting nutritional quality (34).