Climate change is an existential threat to small island developing states. Policy coherence aims to create synergies and avoid conflicts between policies. Mainstreaming adaptation across multiple sectors and achieving greater coherence amongst policies is needed. The paper applies qualitative document analysis, content analysis, and expert interviews to examine the degree of coherence between climate-sensitive sector policies in framing climate change adaptation and the adaptation goals outlined in the national development plan and national climate change policies in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Grenada, and Saint Lucia. The results indicate that adaptation is not fully integrated into the water, agriculture, coastal zone, and forestry policies. For example, while adaptation was explicitly addressed in Saint Lucia’s water policy, it was not explicitly addressed in SVG’s and Grenada’s water policy. The results show that Saint Lucia has the highest coherence score (93.52) while St. Vincent and the Grenadines has the lowest (91.12). The optimal coherence score that can be possibly obtained is 147, which indicates partial coherence in adaptation mainstreaming in sectoral policies. Expert interviews highlighted problems such as institutional arrangements, a silo approach, funding mechanisms, and policy implementation. Using the knowledge provided by the experts, a seven-step process is proposed to practically achieve policy coherence and operationalize the policies.
Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to the impacts of climate change. The region has prioritized adaptation to climate change and has implemented many adaptation actions over the past 20 years. However, the region is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of tropical cyclones (TC). This paper analyses the impacts of TC on the region between 1980 to 2019. It aims to examine the economic loss and damage sustained by the region, identify the sectors most impacted, and ascertain the perspectives of key stakeholders on the factors that hinder building resilience. Statistical analysis techniques and semi-structured interviews were to unpack and understand the dataset. The paper finds that economic loss and damage has gradually increasing between 1980 to 2009 with a drastic increase between 2010 to 2019. The paper highlights the agriculture, housing, transport, and utility sectors as the most impacted. The findings also call to attention the need for increased access to adaptation financing for SIDS, the disadvantages of the income status that hinders building resilience, and the need for increased Early Warning Systems. The paper recommends revising the per capita national income as an eligibility criterion for accessing concessional development finance assistance, a comprehensive EWS for the countries in the region, and consideration of debt relief for countries affected by TC.
Small island developing states (SIDS) are distinctively more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than other developing countries. The focus of this paper is the Caribbean region that is described as one of the most vulnerable regions in the world and highly affected by the impacts of climate change. This paper applies a case-study approach and focuses on the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). With limited efforts to understand the adaptation, vulnerabilities, and challenges at the national level in these SIDS, this paper helps to fill this gap and has two main aims. First, it identifies SVG’s main focus on climate change adaptation. Second, it identifies the barriers to climate change adaptation in SVG. To fulfil the aims of this paper, content analysis, and semi-structured interviews with 32 stakeholders from the public and private sector were applied. This paper finds that SVG is mainly adapting to changes in hurricane, rainfall, drought, and soil and coastal erosion patterns. It also finds that many factors are limiting national-level adaptation. The three main reported barriers are a lack of financial, human resources, and technical capacity. These findings are important for the government of SVG and international donors and agencies. This will help them to identify and fill the gaps in their adaptation actions and prioritising finance. This paper’s findings also highlight the importance of mainstreaming climate change adaptation in sectoral plans and work programs and improving SVG’s access to international climate change adaptation funding.
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