It had been generally acknowledged, at least in the Commonwealth, that by comparison to larger countries, small states are more susceptible to environmental and economic risks, and their Governments open to territorial and political security threats. It is a blue print for sustainable development defining actions and policies in 14 agreed priority areas. What sometimes escapes attention is the fact that it is an agreed programme fashioned at a global conference by the international community as a whole, including the SIDS and other developing countries as well and, for our present purposes, the European Union. The BPOA identifies the range of these characteristics. Many disadvantages derive from small size, magnified by the fact that many island states are not only small but are themselves made up of a number of small islands.
All islanders have intense attachment to their environment.
Small size means that there is a close and natural inter-relationship between the environment and development. This is fully reflected in the BPOA where there is significant emphasis on the environmental aspects of development - perhaps more so than the Lome Convention. Let me say though that the Green Paper does draw special attention to the fact that ACP states are particularly exposed to the potential dangers linked to climate change, especially the increasing frequency of violent storms. It is no accident that the first chapter of the BPOA deals with climate change, and neither that it leads off with the clear and, as far as I know, undisputed statement that SIDS are particularly vulnerable to global climate change, climate variability and sea-level rise. Sea-level rise is profoundly the most dangerous threat, for it touches the very life force of island communities.