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The document presents a screening exercise that identified 26 NAMA concepts for Trinidad and Tobago across six UNFCCC sectors. It analyzes the country's high per-capita emissions driven by the petrochemical industry and proposes specific mitigation measures in energy, industry, transport, agriculture, forestry, and waste to support a transition to a low-carbon economy.

Friends of the Earth urges the public to support recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy and encourages voters in the upcoming general election to prioritize candidates with strong records on climate change and clean energy, arguing that the storm was exacerbated by fossil-fuel-driven climate change.

The interview explores the need to integrate economic models with social and environmental outcomes, the role of ICTs in facilitating global sustainability through information access and stakeholder communication, and the specific vulnerabilities of small island states in the Caribbean. Angela Cropper critiques the failure of global leadership since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and argues for a shift from intergovernmental commitments toward broader societal transformation.

The solar water heater (SWH) industry in Barbados has achieved significant market penetration through a combination of early entrepreneurial leadership, consistent government fiscal incentives, and strategies to ensure consumer confidence. Since the 1970s, over 50,000 installations have saved consumers approximately US$137 million. Key drivers included the Fiscal Incentives Act of 1974, the Homeowner Tax Benefit, and government mandates for SWHs in public housing. The document argues that this success provides a foundation for broader acceptance of other renewable energy technologies and can be replicated in other sun-rich, oil-dependent countries if implemented as a coordinated system.

The solar water heater (SWH) industry in Barbados has achieved significant market penetration through a combination of early entrepreneurial leadership, consistent government fiscal incentives, and strategies to ensure consumer confidence. By 2009, approximately two in five households had installed SWH systems, resulting in substantial energy savings and consumer financial benefits. The document argues that this success provides a foundation for the broader adoption of other renewable energy technologies and can be replicated in other sun-rich countries with high fossil fuel dependence, provided there is long-term regulatory certainty and local sensitivity in implementation.

The document describes the need for a transformational change in how CARICOM countries approach climate resilience, advocating for the integration of risk management into national planning and policy. It highlights the failures of previous guidelines and proposes a new process involving pilot projects in up to five countries, the 'three ones' principle for coordination, and the use of 'stress-tests' for budget approvals to ensure climate resilience is built into sustainable development.

The document examines Grenada's transition from fragmented, project-by-project climate actions to a comprehensive national strategy called the Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR). Funded by the Pilot Program for Climate Change Resilience (PPCR) and Climate Investment Funds (CIFs), the SPCR prioritizes climate resilience over emission reductions due to Grenada's high vulnerability and low global emissions. Key initiatives include the Disaster Vulnerability and Climate Risk Reduction Project and the Forest Rehabilitation Project, alongside technical assistance for water and coastal management. The brief highlights the importance of participatory design, regional synergies within the Caribbean, and the necessity of multilateral finance to address projected sea-level rise costs that could reach $801 million by 2050.

The document highlights that global economic disaster losses rose by 200% over 25 years, with losses from weather-related disasters doubling every 12 years. It argues that ex-post relief is unsustainable and advocates for ex-ante risk reduction through comprehensive risk assessments, fiscal planning, and sector-level mainstreaming. Key tools discussed include the CAPRA GIS platform and the CATSIM model for evaluating fiscal vulnerability. The guide emphasizes that while risk financing (insurance and reserve funds) is useful, it must be paired with land-use planning and building codes to effectively reduce exposure.

The document outlines a training module designed to overcome challenges in the Caribbean regarding the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). It introduces six working sessions using integrated environmental assessment (IEA) tools—including mapping and stress testing tools—to demonstrate the relevance of MEAs to national development and identify synergies between different agreements. The module specifically references the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and Caribbean-specific protocols on wildlife and land-based pollution.

The document outlines the interaction between climate change, human vulnerability, and disaster risk in Latin America and the Caribbean. It emphasizes that while climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of extreme events, human factors—such as unplanned urbanization and poverty—are primary drivers of increasing disaster impacts. The report advocates for an integrated approach that combines disaster risk management (DRM) with climate change adaptation (CCA) and sustainable development, moving from incremental to transformational changes in governance and infrastructure.

The document translates the global findings of the IPCC SREX report into a regional context for Latin America and the Caribbean, emphasizing that disaster risk is increasing due to rising vulnerability and exposure. It details observed and projected climate extremes—such as increased heatwaves and variable precipitation—and argues for the integration of disaster risk management (DRM) with climate change adaptation (CCA) and sustainable development. The report highlights the importance of both incremental and transformational changes, including the use of risk transfer mechanisms like insurance and the necessity of global greenhouse gas mitigation to avoid the most severe impacts.

The Second National Communication for Saint Lucia details the country's climate profile, reporting a 2% increase in total CO2e emissions between 1994 and 2000, totaling 579 Gg. The report identifies high vulnerability in tourism, agriculture, and water resources due to projected temperature increases (up to 3.6C by the 2090s) and rainfall decreases (up to 57% by the end of the century). It proposes two mitigation scenarios to reduce emissions by 19.6% and 25.7% by 2020, respectively, and outlines a series of adaptation measures including revised building codes, coastal setbacks, and integrated watershed management. The document emphasizes significant gaps in financial, human, and technical resources, calling for the mainstreaming of climate resilience into national development planning.

The document describes the creation of an Implementation Plan (IP) to operationalize the CARICOM Regional Framework for Achieving Development Resilient to Climate Change. It emphasizes a 'three-ones' approach to resource mobilization and the necessity of transformational change in policy-setting to avoid severe economic costs of inaction. The IP focuses on mainstreaming climate adaptation and mitigation into national development, targeting sectors such as agriculture, energy, and tourism, while promoting a risk-management ethic in decision-making.

The policy brief highlights that African countries are among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts on fisheries due to high economic sensitivity and low adaptive capacity. It argues that fisheries have been overlooked in climate discourse compared to agriculture and recommends that fisheries-dependent states integrate marine and freshwater systems into national adaptation plans. The author emphasizes that addressing existing governance failures—such as illegal fishing and habitat destruction—is essential to increasing ecological resilience. The brief urges African states to strategically access financing mechanisms like the Adaptation Fund and to ensure fisheries are a priority during COP 17 negotiations in Durban, South Africa.

The report examines 'development without carbon' (DWC) in Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on hydropower's role. While hydropower provides 46% of the region's electricity and has significant untapped potential, climate change—specifically glacier retreat in the Andes and rainfall variability—threatens production reliability. The authors advocate for moving away from static planning toward flexible infrastructure and the use of integrated Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) and Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) tools to manage water-energy tradeoffs and climate uncertainty.

The Climate Impact Equity Lens (CIEL) is an illustrative tool that compares individual climate damages against the savings gained from not reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By analyzing factors such as income, economic vulnerability, coastal exposure, and water availability, CIEL demonstrates that regional averages mask a wide diversity of impacts. The report finds that while some individuals are currently 'net winners' due to avoided emission costs, the majority of the global population, including the least vulnerable, will likely become 'net losers' by 2150 as climate damages escalate.

The report details the outcomes of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) programs, specifically the Cooperative Research Networks (CRN II), Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), and an IDRC-funded project on the Río de la Plata basin. Key findings highlight the vulnerability of Andean cloud forests, the impact of land-use changes on hydrology in the Río de la Plata basin, and the increasing frequency of hurricanes in the Caribbean. The document emphasizes the 'value added' by integrating social and economic sciences (Human Dimensions) to bridge the gap between scientific research and policy implementation, citing specific influences on forest protection laws in Brazil and glacier protection legislation in Argentina.

The IAI is transitioning toward a 'Center of Excellence' model for water security, headquartered at the University of Arizona and the Universidad Católica de Santiago, to better integrate transdisciplinary research on hydrology and climate. Scientific synthesis has highlighted that biophysical changes in land use, such as albedo and evapotranspiration, are as critical as biogeochemical effects. The Institute has expanded its capacity-building through training institutes in Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay, focusing on seasonal climate predictions and urban responses to climate change. Administratively, the IAI faces significant instability due to personnel contracting issues in Brazil and a lack of official response from the Brazilian government regarding host country agreement amendments, leading the Executive Board to seek alternative host countries.

The report details the progress of the Second Collaborative Research Network (CRNII), the Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), and an IDRC-funded project on the La Plata Basin. Key findings include the impact of land-use change on hydrology in the La Plata Basin, the vulnerability of Andean cloud forests and glaciers, and the development of urban pollution forecasting for Latin American cities. The document emphasizes the role of 'Human Dimensions' projects in bridging the science-policy divide, providing evidence for forest protection laws in Brazil and Argentina, and improving water management strategies in Chile and Mexico. It also highlights the capacity building achieved through scholarships and workshops for over 1,600 students across the programs.

The report details the progress of the Second Collaborative Research Network (CRNII), the Small Grants Program for the Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), and an IDRC-funded project on the La Plata Basin. It highlights the integration of social and economic research into natural sciences to bridge the science-policy divide, resulting in 343 joint scientific publications and significant capacity building for over 1,600 students. Key findings include the impact of land-use change on hydrology in the La Plata Basin, the vulnerability of Andean cloud forests and glaciers, and the influence of ocean currents on fisheries and carbon sequestration in the South Atlantic. The document also notes direct policy contributions, such as informing the National Glacier Protection Law in Argentina and updating urban decontamination plans in Bogotá and Medellín.