Overseas development assistance and climate resilience: a case study of Tonga

This chapter examines the role of overseas development assistance (ODA), adaptation strategies and mitigation of carbon footprints through energy security in creating climate resilience in small island developing states like Tonga. By creating a dataset for Tonga, vulnerability indices are developed for the period 1976–2015. This is followed by an analysis of long-run relationship between vulnerability index and certain variables such as development assistance, oil prices and global temperature. The empirical results reveal three things. First, the ODA does not impact upon climate resilience in Tonga. Second, the policy pressure on the government of Tonga for ensuring energy security, captured from the oil price dynamics, impacts adversely on the climate resilience of Tonga. Third, the fear of consequences of climate change, captured by the rising global temperature, seems to have motived the government of Tonga to build climate resilience.