Rather than getting hung up on whether sea levels are rising or falling, perhaps the top priority should be to deal with the immediately apparent effects of climate change, such as the increasing strength and frequency of wind and waves, changes in rainfall patterns, which are reducing the capacity of soils to retain water, and acidification of the oceans, which is resulting in coral bleaching and death.
國家與屬地：14 個主權國家與 13 個屬地，其中與台灣建立邦交的國家有 6 國，分別為馬紹爾群島、吉里巴斯、吐瓦魯、諾魯、索羅門群島與帛琉。廣義的太平洋地區還包含澳洲及紐西蘭。陸地總面積：58 萬平方公里，分為一萬多個小島。