About one fifth of all politically independent countries are Small Island Developing
States (SIDS). These are to be found in all regions of the world, but most of them are
located in the South Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. One of the
greatest challenges to the sustainable development faced by these states relates to climate
change. A matter of great concern for these states is that although they contribute very
little to global warming, they are the ones that will be harmed most by the effects of
climate change.