Islands & Energy Atlas

Islands are particularly sensitive to the two phenomena of:

• Global warming
• Tension on fossil fuel reserves

Global warming primarily impacts island environments which often have rich biodiversity and natural resources. Climate changes may disrupt coastal ecosystems and worsen the already difficult health and sanitation situations in these territories.

In the vast majority of cases, island populations live in coastal areas, while road and port infrastructures, as well as populated areas, are threatened by rising sea levels. This phenomenon exerts further pressure on the natural local resources and available surface areas on smaller islands.

The energy problems faced by islands differ from those in mainland countries: even for those connected to continental networks, islands need to manage their own energy supplies and control their electricity. Moreover, because of lower consumption, a lack of interconnections and structural costs related to storage and shipment problems, energy costs are comparatively higher than in other regions or countries.

One first step in implementing strategies for energy self-sufficiency and climate change mitigation is to establish an Energy Atlas for each island. An Energy Atlas is constituted of:
- an Energy Profile
- an Inventory of Energy Resources
- a Directory of Energy Actors
- a catalog of Energy Trainings

A common framework for Energy Atlas is bein developed. The draft version of the common framework for Energy Profiles has been submitted to

See the interactive geographical atlas of the Indian Ocean (you are going to be redirected to another website / french language)