Saint Lucia’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2018–2028

Saint Lucia's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2018–2028 provides a comprehensive roadmap to build climate resilience across key sectors including water, agriculture, fisheries, infrastructure, natural resource management, education, health, and tourism. The plan identifies 40 cross-sectoral and 271 sectoral adaptation measures designed to reduce vulnerabilities to sea-level rise, intense tropical storms, and erratic rainfall. It establishes the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) as the coordinating body and emphasizes the need for Sectoral Adaptation Strategies and Action Plans (SASAPs) to provide detailed blueprints for implementation. The document also addresses the 'limits to adaptation' and the resulting potential for economic and non-economic loss and damage.

• Saint Lucia is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its small geographical area, its location in high-risk volcanic and seismic zones and tropical cyclone belts, and its economic dependence on agriculture and tourism.
• The financial cost of failing to adapt to climate change is projected to increase significantly over the century, estimated at 12.1% of GDP by 2025, 24.5% by 2050, and 49.1% by 2100.
• Climate projections for Saint Lucia indicate a general trend of increasing mean annual temperatures and decreasing precipitation, with mean annual temperatures expected to rise by 1.8 to 3.1°C by 2080 according to Global Circulation Models.
• Sea level rise in the northern Caribbean could be 25% higher than the global average, with potential mean sea level rise in the region reaching up to 1.45m by 2100.
• The NAP identifies 40 cross-sectoral and 271 sectoral adaptation measures across eight priority areas: Tourism, Water, Agriculture, Fisheries, Infrastructure and spatial planning, Natural resource management, Education, and Health.
• The National Climate Change Committee (NCCC), established in 1998, serves as the NAP's coordinating mechanism, responsible for facilitating cross-sectoral interventions, data sharing, and resource mobilisation.
• Water resources are critically threatened by reduced availability, saltwater intrusion into freshwater lenses, and increased pollution from flooding, necessitating the development of a new 20-year Integrated Water Resources Management Strategy.
• The agriculture sector faces risks from heat stress, pests, and soil erosion; the NAP proposes promoting climate-resilient crop varieties and expanding drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting.
• Fisheries are threatened by the loss of coral and mangrove habitats and the migration of species due to warming seas, leading to proposed measures for artificial reef establishment and the diversification of livelihoods.
• Critical infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and ports, is highly exposed to storm surges and landslides; the NAP emphasizes retrofitting public infrastructure and revising building codes for hurricane and flood resistance.
• Natural ecosystems, particularly coral reefs and mangroves, are at risk of bleaching and destruction, with potential climate-induced damage to coral reefs estimated between USD 1.7 and 3.4 billion by 2050.
• The health sector is vulnerable to increased incidences of vector-borne diseases (such as dengue) and heat-related illnesses, with potential morbidity and mortality costs reaching USD 182.4 million per year by 2050 without adaptation.
• The tourism sector is highly vulnerable to coastal erosion and sea-level rise; a 1m rise in sea level could put 7% of major tourism properties and 100% of sea ports at risk.
• The document identifies 'limits to adaptation' where adaptive actions cannot secure systems from intolerable risks, such as the inability of coastal ecosystems to adapt to rapid sea-level rise or a lack of affordable coastal protection technology.
• Loss and damage are expected to manifest as irreversible effects, including loss of territory, damage to critical infrastructure, and the displacement of coastal communities.
• To address loss and damage, the NAP suggests comprehensive climate risk management, including membership in the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF SPC) and the development of local micro-insurance schemes.

APA

NAP Global Network (2018). Saint Lucia’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2018–2028. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/napgn-en-2018-Saint-Lucia-National-Adaptation-Plan-2018-2028.pdf

Chicago

NAP Global Network. Saint Lucia’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2018–2028. 2018. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/napgn-en-2018-Saint-Lucia-National-Adaptation-Plan-2018-2028.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NAP Global Network |title=Saint Lucia’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2018–2028 |date=2018 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/napgn-en-2018-Saint-Lucia-National-Adaptation-Plan-2018-2028.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{napglobalnetwork2018saint, author = {{NAP Global Network}}, title = {{Saint Lucia’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2018–2028}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2018}, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/napgn-en-2018-Saint-Lucia-National-Adaptation-Plan-2018-2028.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }