Pacific Islands Environment Outlook - UNEP

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Chapter Four
Emerging
Issues
This final chapter identifies some issues that are likely
to dominate the environmental agenda over the next 25
years, and links these to some of the global trends that
are already making their effects felt in the Pacific. It
poses some of the questions that are specific to the
region, and that may not arise elsewhere.
Globalization and economic reform
‘Globalization’ of the world economy and related trade
liberalization is expected to have a profound effect on
Pacific island economies. In response to ‘globalization’,
the region’s Economic Action Plan (1996) sets out
measures to stimulate investment and job creation.
These were outlined in the ‘Policy background’ section
of Chapter Two, Policy Responses, and are designed to
maximize the benefits to the region from potentially
greater global travel, trade and tourism.
A wide range of environmental issues for island
countries are expected to stem from increased travel,
trade and tourism. The more obvious include the impact
of invasive species, diseases and the question of wastes,
as discussed earlier. More subtle are the pressures from
corporate interests to gain access to genetic resources
that may have medicinal or other commercial value. As
noted previously, no local legislation has been put in place
to give effect to the provisions on intellectual property
rights in the Convention on Biological Diversity. This is
discussed in more detail below.
External economic fluctuations, more influential for
small and open economies, will increase the problems
of environmental management. In assessing the impacts
of the 1997–98 economic downturn in the Asian region,
for example, experts have concluded that the Pacific
island economies, like other SIDS, are characterized by
a high degree of vulnerability (Forum Secretariat 1998).
For a general treatment of the situation of small states
and the possible development of an index of
vulnerability, see Commonwealth Secretariat (1998).
This same description has been used in environmental
reports on the region for many years and in studies on
the effect of natural disasters (see, for example,
UNDP/UNDHA 1996, 1997). The new element is the
growing interaction between globalization as a force in
the Pacific region and the wide spectrum of ecological
pressures that most countries are experiencing.
The process of public sector reform and economic
restructuring necessary to maximize benefits to the
region will also bring with it challenges and opportunities
for environmental protection and sustainable
development. Rapid deregulation, combined with a loss
to private firms of skills formerly available in the public
service, are expected to alter approaches to capacitybuilding
and mechanisms used to ensure environmentally
sound practices.
Sound environmental policy will therefore require
two additional elements:
●
a proper assessment of long-term and downstream
risks;