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Infrastructure, Risk, and Resilience on Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Navigating the Nexus. Part 1: Conceptual Foundations.
Singh, S. Hossain, M. Clayton, C.A. Drakes, C. Fekete, A. Fishman, T. Gooroochurn, M. Haberl, H. Hill, L. Jurgens, Sharona
Singh, S.
Hossain, M.
Clayton, C.A.
Drakes, C.
Fekete, A.
Fishman, T.
Gooroochurn, M.
Haberl, H.
Hill, L.
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Location research
Date
2025
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Abstract
Two-thirds of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depend on infrastructure investment, as they are the backbone of production, consumption and our daily life, hence the material basis of societal well-being. As economies develop, the demand for new and/or improved services rise, such as transport, sanitation, education, and health. These services are delivered by infrastructure (also referred to as ‘material stocks’ or simply ‘stocks’) that
drive a self-reinforcing cycle of resource consumption: to first build and then to maintain and operate the stocks, creating a “lock-in-effect”. From a sustainability perspective, it is necessary to observe the relationships between infrastructure development, resource demands, and the societal services stocks provide, referred to as the “stock-flow-service” (SFS) nexus.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) suffer disproportionally from the adverse effects of global warming such as hurricanes, flooding, droughts, and sea level rise. Between 1970 and 2020, SIDS collectively lost $153 billion from extreme events, largely from infrastructure damage and the consequent breakdown of critical services. Constrained by their small size and available resources, SIDS rely heavily on imports for most of their construction needs,
often through complex supply-chain configurations increasingly threatened by volatile markets, rising transport costs and geopolitical concerns.
At the same time, service needs from infrastructure are also changing in SIDS. Climate impacts are escalating the need for hard-engineering climate adaptation measures such as sea-walls, groynes, dykes, or artificial islands, hence driving the demand for more resources. Unplanned and unrestrained infrastructure development heightens the risk of maladaptation, especially in climate-vulnerable SIDS. By recognizing the complex dynamics of material
stock, flows, and service provision, policymakers can mitigate systemic risks and safeguard the long-term well-being of island societies.
Citation
Singh, S., Hossain, M., Clayton, A., Clayton, C. A., Drakes, C., Fekete, A., Fishman, T., Gooroochurn, M., Haberl, H., Hill, L., Jurgens, S. S., Mani, L., Mijts, E., Mohamed, S., Pisini, S., Thammadi, S., Thorenz, A., Wood, M., & Welch, A. (2025). Infrastructure, Risk, and Resilience on Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Navigating the Nexus. Part 1: Conceptual Foundations. Waterloo Climate Institute Technical Brief, University of Waterloo, Canada. https://uwaterloo.ca/climate-institute/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/2025_technical-brief_singh_part-1_final_0.pdf