The foundation of OSPICs was laid in 2010-2011, when I studied global environmental governance at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam (Netherlands). During that time, I examined (1) the effect of climate change on states and peoples with a focus on Pacific islands and Alaska, (2) the concept of climate refugees and (3) the feasibility of a global climate refugee protocol.
Since then, I further developed the project - the first of its kind - and created an analytical framework, based on the concepts of ontological security and identity, that can be used to examine, and contribute to, the ontological security of states and peoples in general, and the Pacific islands and islanders specifically.
National Borders of the Pacific Island Countries
For Pacific island countries, maritime boundaries are national borders. A country’s maritime boundary can lie adjacent to the high seas or be shared with.