In western Micronesia, sea levels are rising at three to four times the global average, saltwater intrusion is impacting freshwater supplies and food production, and local cultures are being forced to respond. Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (9.5N, 138E), consists of a cluster of four main islands (MI) and 14 coral atolls and smaller outer islands (OI) spread over 400,000 km of ocean. This paper examines three aspects of Yap State’s adaptive capacity to climate change impacts: 1) differences in environmental conditions between the MI and OI; 2) relevant features of the MI’s cultural heritage; and 3) relevant features of OI’s cultural heritage, including values and practices surrounding the sawei system relationship. Cultural support networks in both the MI and OI will almost certainly be relied upon to lessen the severity of climate change impacts, perhaps especially as more OI residents relocate to the MI. More research is needed to document how features of intangible cultural heritage that create and maintain social resilience in Yap State will shape residents’ adaptive capacity to climate change.

中文翻译：

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适应密克罗尼西亚联邦雅浦州的气候变化影响：环境条件和非物质文化遗产的重要性

在密克罗尼西亚西部，海平面上升到全球平均水平的三到四倍，盐水入侵正在影响淡水供应和粮食生产，当地文化也被迫做出反应。密克罗尼西亚联邦雅浦州（9.5N，138E）由四个主要岛屿（MI）和14个珊瑚环礁以及较小的外部岛屿（OI）组成，分布在40万公里的海洋中。本文考察了雅浦州应对气候变化影响的适应能力的三个方面：1）MI和OI之间的环境条件差异；2）MI的文化遗产的相关特征；（3）OI文化遗产的相关特征，包括围绕锯木系统关系的价值观和实践。几乎可以肯定的是，MI和OI的文化支持网络将减少气候变化影响的严重性，尤其是随着更多OI居民迁往MI。需要进行更多的研究，以证明在邑县建立和维持社会适应力的非物质文化遗产的特征将如何塑造居民对气候变化的适应能力。