How fuel-reliant Pacific Islands are handling the Iran war crisis
| | WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 2 April 2026 (RNZ) - Clean energy researchers say the Middle East fuel crisis underscores the need for Pacific countries to adopt renewable energy. A new report from Zero Carbon Analytics stated around 80 percent of Pacific Islands countries' energy relies on imported oil products. The report noted that the Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have all pledged to achieve 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2035; while Tonga and Solomon Islands have set a target of 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030, and complete renewable generation by 2050. |
How a seabird has adapted to life in Honolulu's concrete jungle
| | HONOLULU, Hawaii, 2 April 2026 (AP) - Ka'iulani Murphy is quick to spot white terns flapping their wings when she's guiding Polynesian voyaging canoes across the Pacific. The birds hunt for food at sea and lay eggs on land. So traditional navigators like her, who look to the stars, waves and other elements in nature to pilot across the ocean, see the bird's presence as a sign that land is near. These days voyagers returning to Honolulu have more white terns to track than at any other time in modern history. New data shows their numbers have jumped more than 50% in the past decade - evidence the seabirds are thriving amid the concrete towers, traffic-clogged roads and Waikiki hotels in the state’s largest metropolis. |
New Zealand signs defence pact with Cook Islands
| | WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 2 April 2026 (Guardian) - New Zealand and the Cook Islands have signed a defence and security declaration, ending a year-long diplomatic row that erupted after the Cook Islands struck strategic agreements with China. |
How Taiwan came to dominate the global chip industry
| | LONDON, UK, 1 April 2026 (Conversation) - One firm, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), produces more than 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips. These chips are essential for smartphones, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and cutting-edge military systems. |
Norwegian archipelago is an adventure-seeker's paradise
| | VESTERALEN, Norway, 1 April 2026 (Nat.Geog) - Deep in the Arctic Circle, Vesterålen’s archipelago of 1,330 islands, should, by rights, be a frozen tundra. But, like the neighbouring islands of Lofoten, it’s warmed by the passing Gulf Stream, which thaws the archipelago into a landscape of green mountains, fields of meadowsweet and Arctic poppies, and bone-white beaches visited year-round by orcas and sperm whales. Unlike Lofoten, though, Vesterålen remains largely off the tourist radar, and its crowd-free character combines with a wide network of hiking trails and epic coastal and mountain scenery to justify its self-given nickname: ‘a hiker’s paradise’. |
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SIDS |
 | | 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States 27-30 May 2024, Antigua and Barbuda |
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NAF |
| | North Atlantic Forum bi-annual international conference 17-21 June, 2024, Connemara, Ireland, |
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IWRA |
| | 1st Islands Water Congress 4-6 Sept, 2024, Torshavn, Faroe Islands |
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ANATOMY OF ISLANDS |
| | 12th Anatomy of Islands symposium 26-28 Sept, 2024, Jelsa, Hvar Island, Croatia |
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CIS |
| | Critical Island Studies 4th international conference 3-4 Oct, 2024, Manila, Philippines |
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CBD |
| | COP16 21 Oct-1 Nov, 2024, Cali, Colombia |
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UNFCCC |
| | COP29 11-22 November, 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan |
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ISLAND DYNAMICS |
| | DARKNESS II conference, 20-23 January 2025, Nuuk, Greenland |
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JICAS |
| | Islands And Island Studies conference 3-7 June, 2025, Jersey, Channel Islands |
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UNITED NATIONS |
| | UN Ocean Conference 9-13 June, 2025, Nice, France |
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UPEI |
| | 3rd international conference on SIS and SNIJs 16-20 June, 2025, Charlottetown, PEI |
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SICRI |
| | Island Studies International Conference 25-28 June, 2026, Tacloban City, Leyte Islands, Philippines |
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ISISA |
| | 20th Islands of the World Conference 7-11 July 2026, Shinan County, Jeollanam-do, South Korea |
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