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In July 2025, The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a unanimous advisory opinion affirming that states have legal obligations under international law to prevent environmental harm and uphold human rights while reducing emissions to stay within 1.5°C of warming. For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), this was a remarkable victory. But what are the political and legal implications, and how can big polluters be held to account? In this episode, Emily and Matt interview six people involved in the process to an offer a thorough expert account of what the ICJ opinion really means for SIDS.
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We are witnessing a boom in new forms of financing that generate both profit for investors and a “social return” for communities. But what is “impact investing”, and why do we need more of it to protect our oceans and support small islands?
Matt and Emily – with RESI colleague, Gail Hurley – reflect on the UN Oceans Conference in Nice, June 2025. We ask whether socially responsible investment can unlock new money for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and share powerful stories of islands and investors revolutionizing ocean protection through innovative financing.
In Island Voices, Karuna Rana from Mauritius explains why local solutions are key to overcoming investment “ticket size.” In the Explainer, Gail unpacks what impact investing is and why it matters. In the Big Picture, Yabanex Batista (Global Fund for Coral Reefs), Melissa Walsh (Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance), and Hervé Lallement-Moe (Government of French Polynesia) discuss impact investing and the implications of UNOC3. Finally, in No Stupid Questions, Matt, Emily, and Gail ask how impact investing can support SIDS’ policy priorities.
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Disasters are a constant part of life on islands - but outsiders often just see the stats: storm categories, earthquake scales, eruption sizes. Behind those numbers are real people forced to live through harrowing experiences. In this episode, Matt and Emily ask: how do survivors make sense of the shock - and how do their stories help communities rebuild what was lost?
In “Island Voices”, Darenthea Sweeney from Montserrat and Gregory Adams from the British Virgin Islands describe the lasting social effects of disasters. As a disaster management expert, Emily breaks it down for us in the 'Explainer'. Then, three academics – Adom Philogene Heron, Farah Nibbs and Gemma Sou – share how they work with communities affected by disasters to tell their own stories and push back against outside narratives. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions” Matt and Emily discuss whether anyone can ever truly prepare for a disaster on the scale faced by many small islands.
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Small states are among the most peaceful societies, rarely experiencing war and conflict. Yet, on a per capita basis, some - especially, but not exclusively, in the Caribbean—suffer from daunting levels of homicidal violence. In this episode, Emily and Matt ask whether gang violence is getting worse, and explore how SIDS are investing in young people as one part of the solution.
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President Trump’s return to the White House in 2025 signals an upheaval in global politics. ODI hosts, Emily and Matt, ask what this means for small island developing states, and how they might navigate these increasingly choppy waters.
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In recent years, many Caribbean countries have experienced a staggering influx of sargassum, a type of nuisance seaweed emanating from the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean. Beyond just its potent smell, sargassum seaweed is wreaking havoc on coastal ecosystems, fisheries and tourism infrastructure. In this episode, Emily and Matt ask where it has come from, why it has become such a problem and what this means for climate change. They also discuss exciting new technologies from small island nations which, in a bid for a more sustainable future, could see sargassum recycled and redeployed across the globe.
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Intellectuals and activists have long demanded reparations for the horrors of slavery and other colonial abuses. For Small Island Developing States, these demands appear particularly urgent as intensifying climate-related shocks compound existing injustices. In this episode, Emily and Matt ask whether questions of repair and recompense can no longer be avoided by powerful actors. If so, what could such a dialogue look like, how might it shape political and policy agendas, and can it be harnessed to support greater climate justice?
We hear from Gabrielle Hemmings, a Jamaican reparations activist in “Island Voices”. We then move on to an extended panel discussion in “The Big Picture” with three eminent experts: Verene Shepherd, Professor Emerita at the University of the West Indies and erstwhile Director of its Centre for Reparation Research, outgoing Chair (and current Vice Chair) of the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and Vice-Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission; Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and author of Reconsidering Reparations; and Emma Christopher, Associate Professor of History at the University of New South Wales, and author of Slave Ship Sailors and Their Cargoes and Many Middle Passages.
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In this episode, Emily and Matt try to find out why it has blazed such a successful trail, what reforms might ultimately result from it, and where SIDS fit into the process.
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Since the Paris Agreement of 2015, legal action around climate change has grown. This takes many forms, from community groups and public bodies suing oil companies, to international litigation by states within multilateral courts. The most prominent initiative is the pursuit of an “Advisory Opinion” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the “Obligations of States in respect of climate change” pursued tenaciously by a very small state, Vanuatu. In this episode, Emily and Matt make sense of this phenomenon by asking who is leading these initiatives, why they are gathering steam, and which hold out the greatest promise of success.
We hear from Rosie Macinnes, from the remote Scottish island of Raasay, in “Island Voices”. Anne-Sophie Vivier, a key figure in Vanuatu’s ICJ initiative, joins us for our “Explainer” to demystify the process. In “The Big Picture”, we hear from three legal experts – Zachary Phillips from the government of Antigua and Barbuda, Kate McKenzie of the Climate Change Legal Initiative (C2LI), and Francesco Sindico of the University of Strathclyde – who talk us through various dimensions of the climate litigation panorama. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions”, Matt and Emily ask whether we can really attribute responsibility for climate change to individual countries or firms.
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In May 2024, the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) took place in Antigua, where leaders agreed the next ten-year roadmap for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the “Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS: A Renewed Agenda for Resilient Prosperity (ABAS)”.
In this episode, Emily and Matt review the conference, bringing to life the event’s atmosphere, discussing key highlights, and – crucially – asking “What now needs to happen for the ABAS to be successful over the next decade?”.
In “Island Voices”, Naya Sena provides a civil society perspective on SIDS4. In the “Explainer”, Margot St John-Sebastian talks through the negotiating process that produced the ABAS. In “The Big Picture”, Sai Navoti, Rebecca Fabrizi and Tumasie Blair reflect separately on their conference highlights.
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In recent years, the notion of the “Blue Economy” has gained traction in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) policy debates. Focusing on the often-enormous marine spaces encompassed in SIDS’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs) – rather than their diminutive terrestrial landmasses – implies SIDS are really “large ocean states” rather than “small island states”. For proponents, the “Blue Economy” represents an entirely new way of thinking that offers a host of novel economic opportunities. For critics, it is little more than a buzzword that potentially “bluewashes” familiar forms of resource enclosure and extraction.
In this episode of "Small Islands Big Picture", Emily and Matt try to chart a path between these two positions, asking “What is new – and blue – about the Blue Economy discourse? Why have some SIDS and international organisations embraced it so enthusiastically? Are there dangers in advocating for and pursuing it? And how it might be deployed to generate wealth through conservation, rather than exploitation of oceanic resources?”.
In “Island Voices” we hear from Karuna Rana of the Big Ocean States Initiative in Mauritius who advocates using blue innovation to support community development. For our “Explainer”, Liam Saddington of Cambridge University demystifies the Blue Economy concept and discusses some of his research in the Seychelles. The “Big Picture” welcomes Nicole Leotaud from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) in Trinidad and Tobago to hear how civil society visions of socially and ecologically sound “blueing” are being advanced. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions”, Matt and Emily ask, “Is the Blue Economy really that novel, or just old wine in new bottles?”.
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Citizenship is traditionally granted by right – on the basis of birthplace or parentage – or acquired through naturalisation – on the basis of sustained residency and allegiance to the state. Yet, many small countries are increasingly “selling sovereignty” through Citizenship by Investment (CBI) or Residence by Investment (RBI) schemes. These “golden passports” and “golden visas” generate sizeable revenues for many small island developing states (SIDS), but they have also come under scrutiny from powerful states and international organisations, especially the European Union.
In this episode of Small Islands Big Picture, Emily and Matt explore the proliferation of these schemes, asking, ‘If all states – including the very wealthiest – have them, why do smaller states seem to be under the greatest surveillance?’. They discuss the long-term sustainability of these schemes, where the money they generate is going, examples of good practice, and how the international community can support SIDS to ensure they continue to profit from CBI/RBI schemes while also strengthening their governance.
In “Island Voices”, we hear from CEO of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Tina Urso. In the “Explainer”, Matt and Emily discuss the different kinds of CBI/RBI schemes that exist around the world. Dr Dan Hammett and Dr Owen Parker join “The Big Picture” to discuss why the CBI and RBI industry is booming, and why Brussels is increasingly uneasy about it. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions”, Matt and Emily ask, “If CBI and RBI schemes are so problematic, why does the international community not simply ban them?”.
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Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are, by definition, highly dependent on shipping and other forms of connectivity. As geographically small land masses, SIDS have a high propensity to import things, and as islands, all imports, exports and travel must be done by sea (or air). However, SIDS are at the mercy of the global shipping industry, over which they have little control – an industry prone to shocks, spikes in prices and rapid technological change.
In this episode of "Small Islands, Big Picture", Emily and Matt discuss: why SIDS are so dependent on shipping; how these small states are experiencing recent transformations in inter-island and international maritime industries; and whether changing patterns of ownership and control, multilateral governance of the high seas, or technological innovation – for example, through Artificial Intelligence – represent positive or concerning developments for SIDS.
In “Island Voices”, Viliame Kasanawaqa talks about the importance of sea connectivity to Pacific nations. In the “Explainer” section, Professor Liam Campling, co-author of the prize-winning book Capitalism and the Sea, discusses why SIDS are so vulnerable to corporate concentration in the global shipping industry. In “The Big Picture”, Captain Orlando Allard tells us how small states have done much to shape global maritime governance. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions” Matt and Emily answer “Why don’t SIDS just set up their own shipping lines to reduce dependence on the global shipping lines?".
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Each decade since the mid-1990s, the United Nations has convened a high-level international summit – bringing together small-island governments, large-state donor partners, international organisations and representatives from civil society – to agree the next ten-year agenda for Small Island Developing States’ (SIDS) development diplomacy. The fourth of these conferences (SIDS4) will take place in Antigua-Barbuda in May 2024, under the theme ‘Charting the Course Toward Resilient Prosperity’.
SIDS4 is the most important of these decennial conferences so far, taking place at a critical juncture in the global context and at an especially challenging time for small island states. Consequently, Emily and Matt devote the entirety of this episode to a roundtable discussion with three key protagonists in the SIDS4 process:
The episode explores what will happen at SIDS4, how the agenda has been developed, and in which policy areas SIDS will make the biggest demands of the international community. Looking ahead to the new 10-year agenda that will replace The SAMOA Pathway, Emily and Matt ask 'What can we expect from the Antigua-Barbuda Accord for SIDS (ABAS) 2024-34?' and, crucially, 'How will it deliver genuinely “resilient prosperity"?'.
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This episode of "Small Islands, Big Picture" explores debt in SIDS – a critical challenge with no easy solutions. Emily and Matt explain why many island states have built up such large debt burdens in the first place, how this impacts SIDS in different ways, and why it is so difficult to reduce. They discuss what can be done to augment SIDS’ ‘fiscal space’, whose responsibility it is to help them achieve this, and how new financial mechanisms might help.
In “Island Voices”, Rachid Bouhia talks about how better international support is critical for alleviating debt. In the “Explainer” section, Gail Hurley – who specialises in the finance challenges of SIDS – provides 10 reasons why debt is so pressing, but also why we should remain hopeful and continue pushing for global change. In “The Big Picture”, Enrico Gaveglia and Shakira Mustapha discuss the challenges of alleviating debt burdens on the ground. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions”, Matt and Emily answer ‘Why is the issue of debt in SIDS not as simple as just paying down the debt?’.
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This episode of "Small Islands Big Picture" Emily and Matt discuss the problem of sea-level rise, the challenges it poses to sustainable development – especially for low-lying island nations – and what might be done about it.
Ian Fry explains why sea-level rise is such a multifaceted problem. In "Island Voices", Dr Michelle Scobie talks about the critical role of environmental governance. In “The Big Picture”, Dr Tammy Tabe and Professor Jon Barnett talk us through why conventional responses to sea-level rise – such as resettling people – often ignore the desires and adaptation plans of island communities. In "No Stupid Questions", Matt and Emily ask "How might the world better cope with climate-induced migration?".
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In this episode, Emily and Matt discuss a special group of small islands: non-independent territories or "sub-national island jurisdictions" (SNIJs). They explain the great diversity that exists amongst these non-sovereign islands in terms of levels of development and depth of integration with metropolitan powers like Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States. Professor Jack Corbett, RESI Co-Director and Head of the School of Social Sciences at Monash University in Australia, talks about the trade-offs and tensions that typify life as a SNIJ.
In "Island Voices", we hear from Dr Genève Phillip, Interim Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs at the University College of the Cayman Islands. In "The Big Picture", we have two guests: Benito Wheatley, Special Envoy of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Government and Professor Peter Clegg, Head of the School of Social Sciences at the University of the West of England. Finally, in No Stupid Questions, Emily and Matt ask 'Why are non-sovereign territories not becoming independent?'.
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“Small Islands, Big Picture” is a new podcast from the Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI) and ODI which will shine a spotlight on the unique challenges and remarkable resilience of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) around the world. Hosts - and RESI directors – Dr Emily Wilkinson and Dr Matthew Bishop will be joined by expert guests from the Caribbean, Pacific and beyond to discuss the political, economic, social and environmental issues facing SIDS today.
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In this episode of "Small Islands, Big Picture", Emily and Matthew look at the United Nation's new Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI), how it relates to age-old debates about small-state vulnerability, and why it could lead to a long-overdue shift in the allocation of international aid. In "Island Voices", Theresa Meki speaks about the meaning of vulnerability and George Carter highlights different aspects of SIDS' vulnerability that need to be considered. In "The Big Picture", Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr Pa'olelei Luteru reports on how work on the MVI is proceeding. In "No Stupid Questions", Emily and Matt answer "Does thinking of Small Island Developing States through the prism of vulnerability risk infantilising them?".
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“Small Islands, Big Picture” is a new podcast from The Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI) and ODI which will shine a spotlight on the unique challenges and remarkable resilience of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) around the world. Hosts - and RESI directors – Dr Emily Wilkinson and Dr Matthew Bishop will be joined by expert guests from the Caribbean, Pacific and beyond to discuss the political, economic, social and environmental issues facing SIDS today.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
“Small Islands, Big Picture” is a new podcast from The Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI) and ODI which will shine a spotlight on the unique challenges and remarkable resilience of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) around the world. Hosts and RESI directors Dr Emily Wilkinson and Dr Matthew Bishop will be joined by expert guests from the Caribbean, Pacific and beyond to discuss the political, economic, social and environmental issues facing SIDS today.
In this first episode, Emily and Matt explain the ways in which SIDS are some of the most distinctive societies on earth – and why a podcast that helps to amplify SIDS' voices is needed. In "Island Voices", Courtney Lindsay explains why the RESI programme is important. In "The Big Picture", Michai Robertson speaks from behind the scenes at the Bonn Climate Conference. In "No Stupid Questions", Emily and Matt debunk the all-too prevalent myth that many SIDS are not deserving of international aid.
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