Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation at the National Level in the Caribbean

Abstract

Small Island Developing States have been identified as some of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change due to inherent environmental, economic, and demographic characteristics. The cross-cutting reach of climate change impacts has led to the conversation of mainstreaming and its practicality. The study uses a qualitative research design that focuses on interviews with senior officials in the Caribbean at the national and regional levels. The study aims to identify the drivers of, barriers to adaptation mainstreaming into national policies and development plans in the Caribbean, and to derive actions needed to achieve mainstreaming at a national level. The main drivers of mainstreaming are the region’s vulnerability, institutional arrangement, and the government budget, while the major barriers include poor planning and governance, insufficient human resources, and competing development priorities. The paper proposes several key initiatives and actions needed at a national level that can help the region to achieve adaptation mainstreaming. To this end, mainstreaming adaptation at the national level is an essential strategy for building resilience to the impacts of climate change within the region. It cannot be a “one size fits all” approach but one that is tailored by countries to fit the countries’ circumstances and cultures.