Overcrowding is becoming a serious problem in Kiribati and Solomon Islands and rising sea levels is also expected to lead to climate change refugees.
Leading Pacific demographer Professor Richard Bedford, from the Auckland University of Technology, said New Zealand and Australia are obvious destinations for Pacific migrants.
“Long term, I think New Zealand and Australia need to be aware there will be an increasing pressure for opportunities to move to other countries, not as desperate people, but just as people seeking options for their futures,” he said.
