In 1994, Barbados hosted the Global Conference on the
Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States. The resulting Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA)
focused on sustainable development through
adaptation to climate change impacts. In response to
the BPoA, Caribbean governments approached the
Organisation of American States (OAS) to request
support for the development of regional projects
aimed at building capacity to adapt to climate
change. The OAS and CARICOM jointly organised a
series of national and regional workshops to
facilitate maximum stakeholder consultation on
climate change issues.
The result was a proposal for the Caribbean
Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change (CPACC)
project, which was submitted for funding to the
Global Environment Facility (GEF). CPACC was
approved and granted USD $5.6 million. Lasting from
1997 to 2001, CPACC was implemented by the World
Bank, executed by the OAS, and overseen by a Project
Advisory Committee chaired by CARICOM.
Implementation was carried out by a Regional Project
Implementation Unit based in Barbados.
The goal of the CPACC project was to build
capacity in the Caribbean region for the adaptation
to climate change impacts, particularly sea level
rise. This was accomplished through the completion
of vulnerability assessments, adaptation planning,
and capacity building activities. Participating
countries in CPACC included the majority of CARICOM
members. These are: Antigua and Barbuda, the
Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada,
Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis,
St. Vincent, and Trinidad and Tobago.
CPACC consisted of four regional projects and
five pilot projects. The regional projects were:
- Design and establishment of a sea
level/climate monitoring network;
- Establishment of databases and information
systems;
- Inventory of coastal resources; and
- Use and formulation of initial adaptation
policies.
The five pilot projects were:
- Coral reef monitoring for climate change
(Bahamas, Belize, and Jamaica);
- Coastal vulnerability and risk assessment
(Barbados, Guyana, and Grenada);
- Economic valuation of coastal and marine
resources (Dominica, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad
and Tobago);
- Formation of economic/regulatory proposals
(Antigua and Barbuda, and St Kitts and Nevis);
and
- National communications (St Vincent and the
Grenadines).
Specific project achievements included:
- Establishment of a sea level and climate
monitoring system – A total of 18 monitoring
systems, along with the related data management
and information networks, were installed in 12
countries.
- Improved access and availability of data –
An integrated database for the monitoring of
climate change effects was established through
the Inventory for Coastal Resources and the
institutionalization of coral reef monitoring.
- Increased appreciation of climate change
issues at the policy-making level – CPACC
enabled more unification among regional parties
and better articulation of regional positions
for negotiations under the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCCC)
and the Kyoto Protocol.
- Meeting country needs for expanded
vulnerability assessment – Pilot vulnerability
studies were carried out in Grenada, Guyana, and
Barbados.
- Establishment of coral reef monitoring
protocols – This resulted in a significant
increase in monitoring and early warning
capabilities.
- Articulation of national climate change
adaptation policies and implementation plans –
Such policies and plans were formulated in 11
participating countries.
- Creation of a network for regional
harmonization – CPACC developed initial
collaborative efforts with a number of existing
regional agencies. Partners include PetroTrin of
Trinidad and Tobago, as well as key players in
the insurance and banking sectors.
Before completion of CPACC, the Caribbean region
successfully negotiated a CAD $3.5 million grant
from the Canadian Climate Change Development Fund of
the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
This grant supported CPACC’s successor, the Adapting
to Climate Change in the Caribbean (ACCC) project.
Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)
Adapting to Climate Change in the Caribbean (ACCC)
Project
Mainstreaming Adaptation to
Climate Change (MACC) Project
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