The Influence of Environmental Changes on the Micronesian Area: a Case Study of Islands in Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia

Abstract

Various environmental changes, such as globalization and global warming, have been thought of as important factors that affect local communities and natural environments worldwide. This study focuses on three islands (Pohnpei, Mokil, and Pingelap) in Pohnpei State (one of the four Federated States of Micronesia) and discusses the influence of globalization and global warming on those islands with reference to data developed from observation of the coral reefs and from a questionnaire on food, life-style, local awareness of globalization and global warming, and their effects on the human and natural environments. Based on the results of the survey, this study tries to verify two hypotheses. The first is a “centre-periphery” hypothesis that focuses on the distance between each island and Guam, the developed core (or centre) of the Micronesian region. The “centre-periphery” hypothesis argues that the closer the islands are to an urban center, the more globalized they become; islands that are farther away from the center remain more traditional. The second hypothesis we examined assumes that the effects of global warming on each island are similar in intensity. The results of our research show that meaningful “centre-periphery” differences exist among the three islands with regards to principal diet. A meaningful correlation can be seen between those islands closer to the center and the consumption of processed foodstuff; in short, the closer an island is to the centre, the more processed foodstuff its residents consume. In general, responses to the questionnaire reveal results that are compatible with the “centre-periphery” hypotheses. There are also results that run counter to the hypotheses we tested. For example, the degree of coral cover on the islands’ reefs differ; this suggests that the hypothesis about the similar intensity of global warming on all islands is not correct. We also discuss which factors have most affected the islands, and we offer an interpretation from an islandcentered viewpoint that includes topics such as food, communication, and the natural environment in the Micronesian islands.

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