Evaluating the Impacts of Sea Level Rise and Storm Surges on Seychelles' Critical Infrastructure: Summary for Policy Makers

Abstract

The Republic of Seychelles, like other island nations, is at risk from anthropogenic climate change. Adapting to future climate change requires making difficult decisions under conditions of uncertainty. While the uncertainty cannot be fully resolved, informed adaptation decisions can be made by broadly appraising the various dimensions of risk—climate hazards, exposure, and vulnerability—posed by sea level rise and storm surge to Seychelles’ critical infrastructure. Global climate models, local climate feature projections, and local climate trends were synthesized to create five climate scenarios to guide Seychelles’ adaptation decision-making. Vulnerability maps were created by combining local climate and socioeconomic data into a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) format. This report concludes with a list of recommendations aimed at better protecting Seychelles’ critical infrastructure from sea level rise and storm surge and fostering climate-resilient development. In addition to this report, the project developed online risk maps and a Climate Scenario Planning Toolkit, all of which were designed to meet the needs of local stakeholders. This work is part of a larger effort by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known as the Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative (LAKI), which aims to close knowledge gaps regarding climate adaptation. In this capacity, it will serve not only to guide the Seychelles Government’s approach to climate change adaptation but may also aid other island nations facing similar climate risks.