5 ways to make climate action fairer

While only producing 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, small island states — like Tahiti in the Pacific Ocean or Réunion in the Indian Ocean — face some of the worst effects of climate change.

Rising sea levels and extreme weather mean they can’t guarantee they’ll be able to grow enough food and generate the electricity they need.

The ICE recently held a joint side event in the Blue Zone at COP29 to discuss how technology can help small island countries address these challenges.

The event was co-hosted by the ICE, the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC).

The panel was chaired by Davide Stronati of the Climate Change and Engineering Working Group at the WFEO.

1. Improve farming practices

In the last 50 years, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and forestry (managing forest land) have doubled, EIC representative Dr Aitazaz A Farooquee told attendees.

These are set to increase by 2050.

“We need to find solutions to mitigate these emissions,” Aitazaz said.

He shared some of the ‘climate-smart’ practices that Prince Edward Island in Canada is using to ensure farmers can produce enough food for the community.

These include advanced modelling tools that can locate infected crops and manage soils’ nutrients. They can also measure greenhouse gas emissions.

Aitazaz noted that collaboration is key to building resilient communities.

“We need to work with islanders and farmers to develop the technology which is useful for them,” he said.

2. Develop secure energy sources

Small island states' isolated nature can make it challenging to create resilient energy networks, explained Marie-Line Vaiani from the WFEO.

For instance, they rely on imported fossil fuels, which doesn’t help with reducing carbon emissions. This can also put energy availability at risk if anything goes wrong with the export or import.

Electrifying the energy grid has been difficult for the same reason. But Marie-Line reminded attendees that “feasible, effective and low-cost energy options already exist”.

These include wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower.

These sources are already supporting small island states like Tahiti and Réunion

3. Develop standards for resilience

The ICE’s Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Community Advisory Board (CAB) works to build resilience to climate change and reduce its impacts (mitigation).

“We want decarbonisation and resilience to be core to engineering and infrastructure professions,” said David Smith, who co-chairs the CAB.

He wants these to be considered automatically on infrastructure projects. For this to be possible, guidance needs to become available and widespread.

We should also champion resilient case studies.

Standards for carbon management and resilience

For example, the ICE sponsored PAS 2080, the global standard for managing carbon in buildings and infrastructure. This means the standard is free to access.

Upcoming standards on how infrastructure can adapt to climate change will also provide critical guidance.

IEEE representative Professor Saifur Rahman spoke about similar work his institution has done to foster resilience.

This includes sharing thought leadership through their IEEE Climate Change Collection (ICCC) platform to engage and mobilise its 460,000+ members.

4. Create job opportunities for people

Countries around the Caribbean have been trying out smart indoor vertical farming units.

These units take up less than 10 square feet of space and produce up to 394 (179kg) pounds of food every year.

This was part of a climate-smart agriculture pilot scheme that aimed to "transfer knowledge and increase job security”, as explained by Cheryl Senhouse.

Cheryl, who’s the finance innovation director of the Caribbean Smart Accelerator, explained that the project particularly targeted schools and young people.

It moves away from traditional approaches to agriculture, promoting self-sufficiency as well as community resilience.

5. Invest in resilience

Over the last 50 years in Asia and the Pacific, water-related natural disasters have affected 9.6 billion people, Micheala Chan told attendees.

Micheala is an ICE member and part of the WFEO’s Young Engineers Working Group on Climate Action.

She’s a young water utilities expert for the Pacific at the Asian Development Bank.

Water stresses such as extreme events (i.e. tsunamis) and sea level rise are affecting communities and their economies.

Micheala said that financial investment can play a big role in reducing the worst effects of climate change for vulnerable communities.

The Asian Development Bank has produced an investment framework that focuses on long-term outcomes for these communities.

It seeks to achieve a “prosperous, inclusive, resilient and sustainable Asia and the Pacific”.