Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) Increasing sea levels pose an existential threat to low-lying island States in the Pacific Ocean. (2) Maritime zones are critical for the economies of the Pacific Islands, which depend on exclusive rights to resources. (3) New trends are developing in the practices and views of States on the need for stable maritime zones in the face of sea level rise, as reflected in the approach taken by the members of the Pacific Islands Forum and the Alliance of Small Island States.