Tourism is often seen as the ‘golden ticket’ for the development of many islands. The current COVID-19 pandemic, however, has ground global tourism to a halt. In particular, islands that depend heavily on tourist inflows—including mass-tourism islands, and small island developing states (SIDS)—have seen their revenues diminish significantly, and poverty rates increasing. Some alternative-tourism islands have fared better, as they have focused on providing personalized, nature-based experiences to mostly domestic tourists. This article focuses on the experiences of mass-tourism islands, SIDS, and alternative-tourism islands during the COVID-19 pandemic, and offers possible post-pandemic scenarios, as well as recommendations for sustainable island tourism development. Although the pandemic has largely had a negative impact on the tourism sector, this is a unique opportunity for many islands to review the paradigm of tourism development. In this newly emerging world, and under a still very uncertain future scenario, the quadriptych of sustainability is more important than ever. Responsible governance and management of islands’ natural resources and their tourism activities, addressing climate change impacts, the diversification of islands’ economies, and the promotion of innovative and personalized tourist experiences are all necessary steps towards increasing islands’ resilience in case of future economic downturn or health- and environment-related crises.

Climate change impacts on runoff, coupled with population and production growth, pose significant risks to aquatic ecosystems. These risks are heightened in countries with rigid institutional frameworks that prevent water extraction from adapting to ecological requirements. Central Chile presents a particularly compelling case due to the coexistence of private water rights, challenges in establishing ecological flows, projected reductions in runoff, and the high country’s population share. This study aims to determine current and future ecological flow deficits using two indicators: the accumulated water volume deficit and the frequency of runoff falling below ecological flow thresholds. Given the absence of defined ecological flows in some basins and uncertainties about future water system operations, an original methodology tailored to the Chilean context is proposed. This analysis focuses on the Mapocho Alto system (five basins), which is highly affected by water extraction and outdated ecological flow definitions. Results indicate that annual deficit volumes during the historical period are low across basins and are concentrated between September and November. Under climate change scenarios (three basins), the deficits remain relatively stable in two basins but shift in January–July. However, in the Arrayán en la Montosa basin, climate change significantly increases the deficit volumes and frequencies due to imbalances between the natural water supply and water demand. The conclusions underscore the necessity of addressing institutional constraints, such as static ecological flow definitions, to prevent severe ecosystem issues in basins where runoff is projected to decline while demand remains constant or increases, a concern applicable to other countries with similar institutional frameworks.

People with disabilities face disproportionate climate-related risks, yet disability is rarely incorporated into composite climate vulnerability indices. To date, no exiting index — at any geographic scale — incorporates disability as a primary dimension. This study develops the Disability-Inclusive Climate Vulnerability (DICLIV) Index for Chile’s 16 regions, integrating four dimensions: disability and dependency vulnerability (D1), climate hazards and exposure (D2), adaptive capacity (D3), and resilience and response capacity (D4). Seventeen indicators were selected from Chilean regional data sources. A sensitivity analysis assessed the contribution of the disability dimension by re-estimating the index, excluding D1. Findings reveal a distinct south-central vulnerability cluster — Ñuble (0.391), Biobío (0.350), and the Metropolitan Region (0.318) — driven by high disability prevalence, climate hazard exposure, and limited adaptive capacity. Atacama (0.115) ranked least vulnerable, despite its harsh desert environment, reflecting low population density and stronger adaptive capacity. When D1 was excluded, the gap between the first and third-ranked region narrowed, confirming that disability indicators sharpen, but do not create a different geography of climate vulnerability. The DICLIV is the first composite index to treat disability as a core dimension, supporting disability-inclusive climate adaptation aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sendai Framework.

People with disabilities face disproportionate climate-related risks, yet disability is rarely incorporated into composite climate vulnerability indices. To date, no existing index—at any geographic scale—incorporates disability as a primary dimension. This study develops the Disability-Inclusive Climate Vulnerability (DICLIV) Index for Chile’s 16 regions, integrating four dimensions: disability and dependency vulnerability (D1), climate hazards and exposure (D2), adaptive capacity (D3), and resilience and response capacity (D4). Seventeen indicators were selected from Chilean regional data sources. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the index and the contribution of each dimension to regional rankings. Findings reveal a distinct south-central vulnerability cluster—Ñuble (0.641), Biobío (0.600), and the Metropolitan Region (0.568)—driven by high disability prevalence, climate hazard exposure, and limited adaptive capacity. Atacama (0.365) ranked least vulnerable, despite its harsh desert environment, primarily due to comparatively low climate hazard exposure scores. Sensitivity analyses showed high agreement across alternative model specifications, although excluding D1 resulted in Biobío replacing Ñuble as the highest-ranked region and additional ranking shifts across several regions. The DICLIV is the first composite index to treat disability as a core dimension, supporting disability-inclusive climate adaptation aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sendai Framework.