Banking on Resilience: World Bank Unveils Bold Climate Solutions for Eastern Caribbean

Eastern Caribbean nations face mounting climate risks, but the World Bank’s newly released Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) identifies strategies to enhance resilience while advancing development goals.

The report, prepared in collaboration with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), focuses on Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It highlights stark challenges, including the potential loss of 34% of Saint Lucia’s sandy beaches to rising sea levels by 2100 and an additional 22 days annually with temperatures exceeding 30°C in all four nations.

Key recommendations include investments in nature-based solutions and a shift from fossil fuels to strengthen resilience and meet climate commitments. The report emphasises targeting high-impact sectors like energy, transport, and waste to reduce emissions and bolster climate adaptation.

The CCDR outlines the concept of a “resilient core,” which includes investments to meet Sustainable Development Goals while minimising infrastructure damage and service disruptions during climate events. Two investment pathways are proposed, factoring in the countries’ fiscal constraints.

Grenada’s Minister for Climate Resilience, Kerryne James, welcomed the report, calling it “a blueprint for addressing vulnerabilities and charting a path to sustainable growth.”

OECS Commission Director General, Dr. Didacus Jules, praised the tool’s potential and urged its expansion to other nations in the region.

The report underscores the need for collaboration among governments, the private sector, and the international community to finance and implement these climate and development strategies.