Cyclone Houses, Living Heritage and Climate Change in Vanuatu

Abstract

Vanuatu presents a paradox because it is more exposed than most countries in the world to natural hazard disasters, and especially to extreme meteorological events, and yet experiences much lower loss of life than might be expected. The national impact from the largest cyclones can be considerable, with single events leading to the loss of as much as 64% of Vanuatu’s GDP (CSIRO 2023), and yet the country’s human population is often largely spared (Handmer and Iveson 2017). From 2011, Vanuatu was identified annually by the World Risk Report as the country most at risk from natural hazards (e.g. Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft 2021) but reconsideration by the Report’s publishers of the contrast between exposure to risk and actual loss of life led to Vanuatu being “demoted” to 49th place in 2022 and subsequently (Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft 2022). How are we to understand Vanuatu’s extraordinary exposure to meteorological risk and climate change, together with its capacity to limit losses to human life? Show more