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As one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, the RMI is a global voice for ambitious action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We are committed to ‘walking the talk’ in our climate leadership role by demonstrating a pathway to a low-carbon energy future. We want to show how even tiny, remote islands with limited means can navigate the journey to a low-carbon energy future. The Marshall Islands is highly dependent on imported diesel and faces significant fuel and transportation costs. Around half of our GHG emissions come from burning diesel for electricity. While many of our outer islands have 100 percent renewable generation, our main towns still rely on diesel. Not only does using diesel produce emissions, it makes us very vulnerable to oil price shocks, such as the one that nearly bankrupted us in 2009.

Our SoE Report spans seven themes and 18 sub-topics. For example, the “Atmosphere and Climate” theme has the sub-topics of “Climate Adaptation,” “Ozone Depleting Substances and Greenhouse Gases” and “Physical Climate.”

The National Environment Strategy 2017-2022 is a commitment by the Republic of the Marshall Islands to conserve and improve its environment for current and future generations. In the RMI State of Environment Report (SoE) 2016 (SPREP), the Office of Environment Protection and Policy Coordination (OEPPC) worked with other sectors and partners to identify its shortfalls. A strategy to address these shortfalls was developed through the National Environment Management Strategy (NEMS) 2017-2022. The NEMS 2017-2022 promotes sustainable development and integrates environment conservation and the proper governance of development efforts

This review was prepared on very short notice, to provide a summary of what is known to the reviewer at the time, June 1988, about the natural phenomena of the Marshall Islands. This was for the use of the members of the survay team sent to the Marshalls by the Environment and Policy Institute of the East-West Center, Honolulu. Their mission was to investigate the remaining relatively natural areas and the extent of biodiversity in the new Republic of the Marshall Islands.