Climate Change, Population Health and Island States : Socio-Cultural Dimensions

Abstract

This unique collection examines climate change, disasters, and human health in both ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ island nations, highlighting the sociocultural issues in three countries: the UK, Sri Lanka, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Examining how domestic and international policies often disregard the contributions which can be made by poor and marginalised communities, the book demonstrates how traditional ecological knowledge systems, which once enabled effective adaptation to environmental variability, have been systematically marginalised through processes of modernisation and globalisation. Furthermore, the book argues that the colonial model of prevention and responses should be reconsidered, advocating instead for a more inclusive, collaborative approach to climate-health governance – one that meaningfully incorporates local perspectives while addressing structural vulnerabilities to develop equitable, context-specific solutions for island states facing the escalating challenges of climate change and disaster-related health risks. This critical analysis will be of interest to students, scholars, and policymakers in public health, climate change and sustainability, disaster risk reduction, history, anthropology, sociology, and human geography. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.