Search Climate Insights Directory

The document introduces a case study on the adaptive capacity of Whitehouse, Jamaica, as part of the Global Islands’ Vulnerability Research Adaptation Policy Development (GIVRAPD) project. It utilizes the Local Adaptive Capacity (LAC) framework, which evaluates five elements: asset base, institutions and entitlements, knowledge and information, innovation, and flexible forward-looking decision-making and governance. The paper aims to align the LAC framework with an evolutionary perspective on adaptive capacity and test the tool's applicability across different geographical contexts.

The policy brief examines the role of micro-insurance in mitigating the economic impacts of climate change on vulnerable coastal sectors in SIDS, noting that traditional coping mechanisms like household savings are insufficient.

The document highlights a disconnect between national-level climate adaptation planning in SIDS and local-level implementation. While many SIDS have developed National Communications and National Adaptation Programs of Actions (NAPA) to secure donor funding, these often reflect national priorities with minimal local input. The brief suggests that overcoming 'adaptation deficits' requires empowering local leadership, utilizing participatory planning, and improving inter-ministerial collaboration to ensure global change dynamics fit local institutional contexts.

The research investigates the potential for micro-insurance to serve as a climate adaptation tool for vulnerable coastal communities in Small Island Developing States. The study concludes that despite differences between the examined islands, micro-insurance products can be developed to suit their specific characteristics and enhance community resilience against climate change.

The case study examines human vulnerability to extreme events, asserting that it is determined by both exogenous hazards and endogenous characteristics of human systems. It argues that an evolutionary perspective provides critical insights into adaptive capacity, which is often limited by structural and historical factors. To demonstrate this, the text compares the root causes of vulnerability in Haiti and Chile following their 2010 earthquakes. The author contends that qualitative research methods are necessary to uncover these structural and historical root causes, citing the Global Islands’ Vulnerability Research Adaptation and Policy Development Project as a model for community-based qualitative assessment.

The Caribbean faced $33bn in natural disaster damages between 2000 and 2009, representing 61% of its 2014 regional GDP. Climate change threatens key sectors: 94% of tourist accommodation in Belize is vulnerable to sea level rise and flooding, while 90% of agricultural land is rain-fed. Projections indicate divergent crop impacts, with Jamaica's sweet potato yields potentially increasing by 33% by mid-century, while Belize's corn yields may decrease by 25% by 2030. Financial losses are widespread, with 25% of surveyed households using education savings for reconstruction.

The document highlights the severe economic impacts of climate change on the Caribbean, specifically within agriculture and tourism. It leverages CDKN-funded research to propose adaptation strategies, such as crop diversification and multi-stakeholder tourism management, while emphasizing the need for financial support to overcome high up-front costs for small-scale actors.

The paper examines how insurance can mitigate high resource and drilling risks to attract private sector investment in geothermal energy, specifically focusing on capacity-building efforts in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is positioned as a climate leader, being the first Least Developed Country to submit an Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC). The government aims to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions from 150 Mt CO2eq in 2010 to 145 Mt CO2eq by 2030. To support these goals, CDKN has assisted the Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation (MoFEC) in achieving accreditation as a National Implementing Entity for the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund in March 2016. Infrastructure investments include a 34-km light rail transit in Addis Ababa and a 750-km railway to Djibouti. Additionally, CDKN is supporting the development of geothermal risk insurance and research into greening the industrial sector, specifically leather, garments, and cement.

The document details CDKN's contributions to Pakistan's climate resilience and low-carbon transition, highlighting a solar PV project in Sialkot, the development of a national disaster-risk insurance framework, and a suite of 50 low-cost actions to reduce annual emissions by 100 megatons by 2030.

The document argues that while community-level action is important, national governments are essential for providing strategic oversight, accessing finance, and creating the enabling environment for large-scale climate adaptation in the Caribbean. It highlights the need to integrate climate considerations into sectoral policies and plans, as evidenced by a case study in Belize where a lack of sectoral integration hindered tourism resilience. The brief promotes the use of the CCORAL tool for policy screening and the ARIA toolkit for assessing institutional adaptive capacity, noting that assessments in Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia revealed gaps in vulnerability assessments and cross-sectoral coordination. Furthermore, it emphasizes the role of government as a 'bridge' to translate national priorities into local action through networked governance and public-private partnerships, citing the Sandals Whitehouse Special Fishery Conservation Area in Jamaica as a successful example of co-management.

The report analyzes the climate pledges of 18 Asian countries, finding that while energy and transport are primary mitigation focuses, there are significant gaps in quantified climate finance requirements and the integration of gender and social inclusion. It highlights a regional disparity in disaster risk reduction planning, with South Asian countries generally showing higher levels of integration than their South-East Asian counterparts.

The document outlines the vulnerabilities of the Caribbean water sector to climate variability and change, emphasizing the need for cross-sectoral cooperation and flexible planning strategies to build climate resilience.

The document outlines a research project comparing community adaptation and microinsurance demand in four Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It specifically focuses on comparing 2011 data from the Caribbean with new survey data from Mauritius and the Seychelles to analyze socio-economic profiles, financial behavior, and coping mechanisms in response to extreme weather.

The document discusses the role of the private sector in achieving climate compatible development following the Paris Agreement. It notes that while new technologies and financial instruments are emerging, public policy is required to address market failures, counter opposing lobbies, and manage the social winners and losers resulting from industrial disruption.

The document outlines a project focused on identifying the most and least vulnerable tourism areas in Belize to climate change. It details a methodology of reviewing and aggregating existing datasets and maps—including previous assessments of tourism, mangroves, and the coastal zone—to determine where adaptation investments should be prioritized to maintain healthy ecosystems and sustainable tourism development.

The document outlines the expected effects of a warmer and drier climate on agriculture in Trinidad & Tobago by 2050, specifically highlighting a significant reduction in suitable land for tomato cultivation and a higher resilience for cocoa, while noting a shift in crop suitability toward upland and mountain areas.

The document examines how changing temperature and rainfall patterns will affect crop suitability in Jamaica by 2050, highlighting significant risks for tomato production and drought sensitivity for cocoa, while suggesting root crops as diversification alternatives.

The tourism industry is a critical component of Belize's economy, contributing between 18% and 34% of GDP depending on the assessment. The sector is primarily based on eco-tourism and culture, with 80% of visitors engaging in reef-based activities. However, the industry faces significant challenges exacerbated by climate change, including poor land accessibility, inadequate natural asset management, insufficient waste and sewage systems, lack of urban land planning leading to beach erosion, and a lack of public awareness regarding the sustainable use of natural resources.

The document analyzes the institutional frameworks for climate change adaptation in Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia, emphasizing that effective adaptation depends on governance processes, national-level policymaking, and civil society engagement. While both nations have developed adaptation policies and contributed to the UNFCCC, the analysis finds a need for more thorough vulnerability assessments and the creation of adaptation activity inventories to improve transparency and reduce duplication.