Adapting to climate change at the national level in Caribbean small island developing state

Abstract

Small island developing states (SIDS) are distinct from other developing countries: they are particularly and comparatively more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Efforts to understand national-level vulnerability in these countries are limited. This paper helps to fill this gap and has two main aims. First, it identifies trends in national-level climate change adaptation among SIDS in the Caribbean region. Second, it identifies the limits to adaptation at the national level in these countries. In applying a resilience lens, and using summative content analysis techniques and semi-structured interviews with 26 senior policy-makers, this paper finds that Caribbean SIDS are primarily adapting to changes in hurricane, rainfall, and drought patterns. It also finds that most adaptations are being undertaken in the coastal zone and the water and agriculture sectors, and that there are many factors limiting national-level adaptation. The most commonly reported limit is financing, though not all policy-makers agree that financing is a limit. These findings are important for national SIDS governments and international donors and agencies that will be better able to identify and fill gaps in their adaptation actions and financing. This paper's findings also highlight the importance of depoliticising climate change and prioritising good governance, improving SIDS' access to international adaptation financing, and making the road to a climate-resilient future by walking.

Twenty-five years of adaptation finance through a climate justice lens

“…Studies on the distribution of adaptation finance did not concretely establish that money was directed to the most vulnerable countries (Betzold and Weiler 2017 is an exception). In the case of SIDS, for example, more adaptation finance went to countries with good governance quality and low per capita incomes (Robinson 2018a(Robinson , 2018bRobinson and Dornan 2017). The Maldives, which ranked first of all SIDS on an average of the University of Notre Dame's Global Adaptation Index for exposure between 2010 and 2014, received the 18th largest commitment of approximately US$23 million (Robinson and Dornan 2017).…”

Small island perspectives on climate change

“…The research reveals that Caribbean SIDS are focusing adaptation on hurricane impacts, rainfall, and drought patterns, and that the majority of adaptations are being undertaken in the coastal areas, with the sectors of water and agriculture also being focused on, and that the largest barrier to adaptation remains financial. Robinson (2018) also reminds us that perceptions and perspectives are important from all sectors of society, from rural communities to the 'community' of policymakers.…”

“…The papers in this special thematic section examine a wide geographical range of islands (see Figure 1), with three in the South Pacific (Beyerl et al, 2018;Perkins & Krause, 2018;Perumal 2018), one in the Caribbean (Robinson, 2018), and one in the British Isles (Petzold, 2018). Two papers discuss islands groups which are extraterritorial lands and which are not SIDS (Ferdinand, 2018;Schwebel, 2018), and one takes a theoretical approach (Kelman, 2018).…”

“…Moving from the South Pacific to the Caribbean and to a policy focus, Robinson (2018) provides an investigation of the perceptions of policymakers and the prioritised adaptation occurring at the national level and the limits to adaptation in Caribbean SIDS. The research reveals that Caribbean SIDS are focusing adaptation on hurricane impacts, rainfall, and drought patterns, and that the majority of adaptations are being undertaken in the coastal areas, with the sectors of water and agriculture also being focused on, and that the largest barrier to adaptation remains financial.…”

Climate change adaptation in SIDS: A systematic review of the literature pre and post the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report

“…UNEP (2014, p. 29) showcased innovative policies that support adaptation and emphasized how adaptation in SIDS can “generate larger benefits and greater resilience when combined with disaster risk reduction and community‐based approaches to development”. Despite these and other studies, many continue to either focus on a single country or a select group of them, typically approached from a regional perspective (e.g., see Reyer et al, 2017; Robinson, 2018a). This heightens the importance of a global analysis of adaptation in SIDS, given their special case and the fact that this approach is uncommon in the academic literature.…”