Climate Resilient Investment Pathways in the Pacific
Tuvalu & Kiribati
Asian Development Bank | 2024–2025
Land reclamation works in Tuvalu, providing practical context for the assessment of future climate-resilient investment pathways across Pacific island environments.
Supporting Climate-Resilient Investment Across the Pacific
The Asian Development Bank’s Climate Resilient Investment Pathways in the Pacific program supports long-term planning for communities facing increasing climate and coastal risks.
Drawing on experience in Tuvalu and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Intercoastal provided technical assistance to support the initial scoping of further coastal climate adaptation measures in Tuvalu and provide insights for a land reclamation program in Kiribati.
The wider program included Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessments (CRVAs) covering Funafuti, Kiribati, Tonga and Nauru.
Project Highlights
Pacific regional program
Supporting climate-resilient investment planning
Tuvalu
Initial scoping of further coastal climate adaptation measures
Kiribati
Technical insights for land reclamation planning
Regional CRVAs
Funafuti, Kiribati, Tonga and Nauru
Applying Lessons from Tuvalu
Low-lying Pacific island countries face particular challenges in planning infrastructure and development under increasing coastal and climate risk.
Intercoastal brought practical experience from Tuvalu and other SIDS to the assignment, supporting consideration of further coastal adaptation measures and the role that land reclamation may play within longer-term climate-resilient development.
Experience from Tuvalu provided relevant background and lessons for considering future reclamation and coastal adaptation approaches in Kiribati.
3D visualisation of coastal reclamation planning at Fogafale, illustrating the type of Tuvalu experience informing consideration of future climate adaptation and reclamation approaches.
Informing Future Reclamation in Kiribati
A key component of the assignment involved drawing on experience from Tuvalu to provide technical insights for the initial scoping of land reclamation in Kiribati.
This provided an opportunity to transfer lessons from existing Pacific island adaptation and reclamation experience into the early consideration of future investment, recognising the distinct physical and development context of each island environment.
Understanding Regional Climate Risk
The wider program also involved Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessments for Funafuti, Kiribati, Tonga and Nauru.
These assessments contribute to understanding how climate and coastal hazards may affect communities, infrastructure and future investment, providing an evidence base for considering climate-resilient development pathways across different Pacific island settings.
Intercoastal’s Role
Intercoastal provided coastal engineering and climate adaptation expertise to the Asian Development Bank, drawing on experience in Tuvalu and other SIDS.
The role supported the initial scoping of further coastal climate adaptation measures in Tuvalu and provided technical insights for a Kiribati land reclamation program, within the broader regional program that included Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessments for Funafuti, Kiribati, Tonga and Nauru.
Project Details
Client: Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Program: TA-6683 REG – Support to Climate Resilient Investment Pathways in the Pacific
Location: Tuvalu & Kiribati / Pacific regional
Project period: 2024–2025
Role: Climate Change and Coastal Engineering Expert
Services: Climate Adaptation & Resilience · Coastal Engineering
