Earthquake off Russia, tsunami warnings in the Pacific
From Iskand Innovation
This week, a massive earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami alerts across the Pacific. Waves hit coastlines from northern Japan to Hawaii and California, prompting evacuations and emergency warnings.
While this tsunami wasn’t caused by climate change, it underscores how vulnerable island and coastal communities are to a wide range of shocks: rising seas, stronger storms, saltwater intrusion, and more.
At COP30 in Belém, adaptation will be a central theme, and we’re bringing that conversation to the Virtual Island Summit this September.
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Earthquake off Russia prompts tsunami warnings for Hawaii, Japan and parts of Pacific Coast
A powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting Japan’s meteorological agency to issue a tsunami alert and the National Weather Service to issue a tsunami warning for Hawaii and parts of Alaska on Wednesday. Thankfully, the damage has been limited. But this event reminds us of a deeper reality: islands and coastlines are on the frontlines of disaster, and not just from tectonic events.
Nickel boom on an Indonesian island brings toxic seas, lost incomes
Nickel mining on Indonesia’s Kabaena Island has polluted the sea, degraded forests and disrupted the lives of Indigenous Bajau fishers and farmers, who have reported severe drops in income, fish catches and seaweed quality.
Survival at sea: Cuba is rewriting its coral story
While ocean warming and coral bleaching events make the headlines around the globe, there’s a team of pioneering marine researchers quietly working on new methods to rebuild coral populations more resilient to rising temperatures through groundbreaking means. And it’s all happening in Cuba.
7 years of the Virtual Island Summit
Over 7 years, the Virtual Island Summit has grown into a powerful network of 10,000 attendees, representing over 500 islands, featuring nearly 200 speakers, and remaining completely FREE to attend.
Watch or re-watch memorable sessions from past #VIS here.
#VIS2023 – The Power of Storytelling — Virtual Premiere of Grand Cayman, The Documentary
#VIS2021 session – Breaking Echo Chambers: Innovating Inter-island Knowledge Sharing
| #VIS2019 session – Creating Resilient Island Energy Systems |
| Watch or re-watch |
| #VIS2024 session – Voices from the Mediterranean: The Observatory for Small Italian Islands |
| Watch or re-watch |
Massey University: Newly released policy papers
Island Innovation’s Academic Council is a programme facilitating connections and collaboration between island communities and academia, encouraging the sharing of academic research with diverse island stakeholders. Members are committed to fostering knowledge exchange and driving policy innovation. They regularly contribute thought-provoking policy papers addressing critical island challenges. Read the most recently published papers by Massey University’s Dr. Angelique Reweti (senior researcher), Dr. Hoani Moriarty (senior tutor) and Dr. Felicity Ware (senior lecturer).
This week’s highlights
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