Saint Lucia’s Experience with Private Sector Climate Adaptation

Excerpt from thevoiceslu.com

Located at the edge of the north Atlantic hurricane belt, where storm systems gain strength from open warm water, the Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia is highly vulnerable to climate change. On an island with a small surface area, and where its people and infrastructure tend to concentrate around the coast, eery storm is a threat. A heavy reliance on tourism, agriculture and imported fuel and food add to Saint Lucia’s climate change concerns.

The Island Nation confronting these development challenges head on. It has been a leader among Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in climate change policy making and planning. Its first National Climate Change Policy and Adaptation Plan was completed in 2003. A National adaptation Plan (NAP) process was launched in 2018.

A Crucial feature of Saint Lucia’s commendable efforts to pursue its climate change agenda has been its engagement with partners at every level. One important partnership is with the Climate Investment Funds (CIF)’ Caribbean Regional Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR): a funding program which puts climate resilience plans and public-private-sector innovations into action. Recognizing the private sector’s critical role in the national climate adaptation effort, the Private Sector Engagement Strategy, part of the country’s NAP, was launched in 2020. The strategy seeks to encourage private sector actors to help lead the national adaptation efforts to build the country’s long-term climate resilience.