Cook Islands Environment - 2024

Environment - current issues

limited land presents solid and liquid waste disposal problems; soil destruction and deforestation; environmental degradation due to indiscriminate use of pesticides; improper disposal of pollutants; overfishing and destructive fishing practices; over dredging of lagoons and coral rubble beds; unregulated building

Environment - international agreements

party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Climate

tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March

Land use

agricultural land: 8.4% (2018 est.)

arable land: 4.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 4.2% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest: 64.6% (2018 est.)

other: 27% (2018 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 76.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Air pollutants

particulate matter emissions: 7.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Total renewable water resources

0 cubic meters (2017 est.)