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Enjeux et critiques locales de l’affluence des acteurs internationaux de l’adaptation au changement climatique à Tarawa et Funafuti

Abstract

Due to their vulnerability to sea level rise, two small atoll States in the South Pacific, Tuvalu and Kiribati, became a focus of global attention over the past couple of decades. An increasing number of journalists and development aid consultants are travelling to those atolls. Local governmental and non-governmental actors face raising requests from foreign actors which tend to « saturate » their activities with redundant interview requests and the reiteration of similar climate change adaptation projects. This article is focused on this influx which is suffered, used or criticized by the various local actors from Tuvalu and Kiribati. While the governments of Tuvalu and Kiribati use climate change to keep their States on the international agenda, non-governmental actors criticize the attitude of journalists and consultants along with the mixed benefits of their visits to their islands.