Adaptation: Rapid Institutional Analysis (ARIA) PHASE II RESEARCH REPORT Trinidad and Tobago

The report finds significant institutional gaps in Trinidad and Tobago's readiness for climate adaptation across food production, coastal zone management, and tourism. While basic climate data is available via the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service, there is a critical lack of sector-specific vulnerability assessments, formal prioritisation processes, and national platforms for information exchange. Coordination is strongest in coastal zone management through a Cabinet-appointed Steering Committee, but overall mainstreaming of adaptation into national planning remains limited, with current efforts led by the Environmental Management Authority to integrate climate priorities into development sectors.

• There are significant institutional gaps across the food production, coastal zone management, and tourism sectors regarding climate adaptation readiness, particularly in vulnerability assessment and prioritisation.
• Vulnerability and impact (V&I) assessments are severely lacking: the food production sector has only one (by UNECLAC), the coastal zone has a recently completed but not yet public report, and the tourism sector has none.
• Climate adaptation is not a stated strategic focus for the food production sector, although some existing initiatives in the National Food Production Action Plan 2012-2015 and Strategic Plan 2011-2015 relate to adaptation.
• The National Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Steering Committee, chaired by the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), represents the most significant national effort for coordination and adaptation in the coastal zone.
• The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS) provides usable climate data (rainfall, temperature, and wind) to all sectors upon request, including a specific agro-meteorological service for farmers.
• There is no national platform for the exchange of climate information, nor are there sector-specific platforms for food production, coastal zones, or tourism.
• Formal processes for mainstreaming climate change risk into sectoral planning are absent, though the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) is currently working to integrate climate priorities into national development plans with IDB funding.
• Budgetary allocations for adaptation in the food production sector are often insufficient, with the Ministry of Food Production reporting that its budgets are frequently the first to be cut.
• The tourism sector lacks specific climate adaptation activities and has no existing vulnerability and impact assessments, despite the 2010 National Tourism Policy acknowledging the urgency of reducing greenhouse gases.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2013). Adaptation: Rapid Institutional Analysis (ARIA) PHASE II RESEARCH REPORT Trinidad and Tobago. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ARIA-Phase-II-Priority-areas-report-Trinidad-and-Tobago290315.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Adaptation: Rapid Institutional Analysis (ARIA) PHASE II RESEARCH REPORT Trinidad and Tobago. 2013. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ARIA-Phase-II-Priority-areas-report-Trinidad-and-Tobago290315.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Adaptation: Rapid Institutional Analysis (ARIA) PHASE II RESEARCH REPORT Trinidad and Tobago |date=November 2013 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ARIA-Phase-II-Priority-areas-report-Trinidad-and-Tobago290315.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2013adaptation, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Adaptation: Rapid Institutional Analysis (ARIA) PHASE II RESEARCH REPORT Trinidad and Tobago}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = nov, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ARIA-Phase-II-Priority-areas-report-Trinidad-and-Tobago290315.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }