CLIMATE SUPPORT 10 Stories of Technical Assistance from the Intra-ACP GCCA

CLIMATE SUPPORT 10 stories of technical assistance from the Intra-ACP GCCA

An initiative of the ACP Group of States funded by the European Union’s European Development Fund

2 3 INTRODUCTION

For countries in the African, Carib- cess forward. Our technical assis- bean, and Pacific regions, climate tance helped access international 10 change is a massive challenge. Higher finance and technical support, driving temperatures, shifting rainfalls, and the process forward. Elsewhere, in 3 extreme weather events disrupt agri- Burkina Faso and Niger, for example, 1 culture, prompt natural disasters, and our consultants built capacity and hinder poverty reduction. knowledge, which counterparts are still using and sharing today. The Intra-ACP GCCA+ Programme finances technical assistance to 79 These ten stories come from all three countries in the African, Caribbean, regions. They illustrate both the na- and Pacific regions. In some cases, ture of our work and our contribution such as Côte d’Ivoire’s drive to halt its to tackling climate change. We wel- deforestation, our technical assis- come all comments and questions, 9 8 7 4 6 2 5 tance helped the country to access and we are open to further requests further international finance and for support. Climate change is the de- technical support, driving the pro- fining issue of our time. TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. CÔTE D’IVOIRE - FOREST 4 6. TANZANIA - FORESTS 22 2. DJIBOUTI - WATER 8 7. GHANA - BIOGAS 26 3. SAHEL - TRAINING 12 8. CÔTE D’IVOIRE - COASTAL EROSION 28 4. SAHEL – AGRICULTURE 14 9. CARIBBEAN – NDC PREPARATION 32 © ACP Secretariat 2018. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Credit for photography that illustrates this report: © Shutterstock 5. SAMOA-SOLAR WATER PURIFICATION 18 10. CARIBBEAN - ECOSYSTEMS 36 4 CÔTE D’IVOIRE’S FORESTS GET A “ROADMAP” AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT 5

For Côte d’Ivoire, forests are an to produce a roadmap for the REDD+ to 20 percent of national territory by 1. CÔTE D’IVOIRE essential part of every day life, pro- process,” says Marcel Yao, Côte d’Ivo- 2030, replanting 170,000 hectares viding both spiritual and agricultural ire’s coordinator for REDD+. each year. benefits. In a country where so many - FORESTS people depend on farming for their “The request was approved and a “The roadmap was the starting point livelihoods, the trees help fertilise the consulting firm made available.” for this strategy, the first brick on ground and regulate the country’s which everything else was built,” says rains. The consultants developed a REDD+ Marcel. roadmap, including an analysis of the But Côte d’Ivoire’s forests have be- country’s gaps in sustainable forest By supporting Côte d’Ivoire to pro- come a victim of their own success. management, and built capacity to tect its tree cover, the international Agriculture, especially for cash crops implement it. community reduces global green- such as coffee and cocoa, has driven house gas emissions and slows the rapid deforestation. Between the end “The roadmap reassured our part- pace of climate change. By protect- of the 1950s and 2008, Côte d’Ivoire’s ners and brought in a lot of funding,” ing tropical forests and allowing them forest cover dropped from 80 to just Marcel says. “Above all, it allowed to recover, current annual global 5 percent of national territory. the different sectors to collaborate emissions could drop by up to 30 effectively.” percent. By 2012, the government was looking to join the international REDD+ mech- The roadmap helped put Côte d’Ivo- anism, a UN scheme to help countries ire’s ambitious forest management protect and restore their forests. It plans back on track. In May 2018, Côte turned to the Intra-ACP GCCA Pro- d’Ivoire said it would ask donors, gramme. timber firms, and cocoa companies to help finance a reforestation strategy “We applied to the ACP Secretar- costing US$1 billion over ten years iat for technical support to help us (616 billion CFA francs). The strategy analyse the state of our forests and would seek to extend forest cover 6 7 FACTBOX – CÔTE D’IVOIRE - FORESTS

Côte d’Ivoire has some of the world’s • The main causes of deforestation richest and most biodiverse forests, in Côte d’Ivoire are massive expan- but they have been damaged by sion of agriculture, timber exports, deforestation. Here are some more uncontrolled harvest of forests for facts about the forests of Côte d’Ivo- firewood, bushfires, and mining, ire. notably illegal small-scale gold mining. • Côte d’Ivoire’s forests are home to some of the region’s richest biodi- • Other causes include population versity, including primates, birds, growth and poverty, which lead reptiles, and more. to over-exploitation of available natural resources. • But the world’s top cocoa pro- ducer has had some of the world’s • Côte d’Ivoire’s forest cover fastest deforestation rates. dropped since the end of the Between 1990 and 2015, average 1950s from 80 percent of national deforestation was around 4.3 per- territory to just 5 percent in 2008. cent per year, the highest in the world at the time.

Sources: Reuters, President’s Office, World Bank, REDD+ Roadmap 8 DJIBOUTI RECYCLES ITS WASTEWATER FOR FARMING 9

Vital for life, water is a rare commod- the construction of a wastewater snaking their way through the sand to 2. DJIBOUTI ity in the tiny, semi-desert country of treatment plant at Douda just outside a tidy area of green, net shelters run Djibouti. With temperatures ranging the capital. Financed by the European by 40 farmers and their families. from hot to very hot, rural families Union and finished in 2013, the plant - WATER must sometimes travel as far as 15 was big enough to serve 40,000 peo- “The project contributes to improv- kilometres to find any drinkable wa- ple. But what to do with the recycled ing the life of Djiboutians, notably ter. water? by putting in place for the first time a framework for the reuse of treated Climate change has become a worry. Responding to a request from the EU wastewater,” an EU statement said Recent years have seen lower rainfalls Delegation in Djibouti, the Intra-ACP and longer, more frequent droughts. GCCA Programme financed a consultant to advise on using the recycled “Recurrent droughts are a reality for water. The final plan was to pipe wa- people in this region,” a government ter from the plant to a nearby farm- minister told a conference on climate ers’ cooperative, Douda FIICAN. in the Horn of Africa. In doing so, the Intra-ACP GCCA Pro- “We need effective mechanisms to gramme was helping Djibouti adapt tackle climate variability and change.” to climate change. As a semi-arid country expecting to receive even One effective mechanism has been less rain in the coming years, Djibouti to use and reuse the existing re- produces very little food. Its limited sources as efficiently as possible. agriculture and horticulture has extra With survival at stake, and a growing value. population, Djibouti must find ways to collect and recycle its water more By May 2017, when the EU’s Director efficiently. General of International Cooperation and Development, Stefano Manser- One excellent opportunity came with visi, visited the project, pipes were 10 11 FACTBOX - DJIBOUTI - WATER

A semi-arid, desert-like country, Dji- day for safe drinking water. bouti is one of the world’s most water-stressed countries. It receives low • With less than 1,000 km² of arable rainfall and has extremely limited ag- land and an average rainfall of just ricultural production. Here are some 13cm, Djibouti is totally dependent more facts about Djibouti’s water. on imports to meet its food needs.

• Djibouti does not have a perma- • Djibouti is highly sensitive to nat- nent source of surface water, such ural disasters such as floods and as rivers or fresh water lakes. It droughts. Herders and rural dwell- relies on deep underground water ers can easily lose their livelihoods. tables, fed by rainwater infiltration. More than 95 percent of water is • Djibouti suffered consecutive sea- abstracted from groundwater. sons of drought in 2016-2017

• In 2006, nearly 16 percent of the • More than 23 percent of Djibouti’s population had no immediate nearly 1 million population live in access to safe drinking water. The extreme poverty. Most of them live most deprived populations had to in rural areas. travel as far as 15km and back every

Sources: UNICEF (2006), USAID Food Assistance Fact Sheet, USAID, and World Bank 12 3. SAHEL 13 – TRAINING

SAHEL INSTITUTION TEACHES NEW TOOLS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

of a training guide and helped CILSS Snaking along the southern edge of To adapt to climate change, Sahel In April 2013, for example, the In- trainers to complete and implement the Sahara Desert, the ten countries countries wanted to develop the tra-ACP GCCA Programme funded it. of the Sahel region are precariously expertise that would allow them to technical experts to help the CILSS dependent on rain. Survival has al- incorporate climate change issues produce a course on climate change “The CILSS helps the region by ways required resilience and ingenu- into their national plans and budgets. and to train trainers to share the training managers on climate change ity, but climate change represents a However, the issue was new to the knowledge more widely. and climate negotiation, also by new scale of challenge. region, which lacked the technical providing information on climate and knowledge. Some 11 CILSS participants received sustainable land management,” says Recent years have seen intense training in a small town about 100 Maguette. weather changes, including intense The Intra-ACP GCCA Programme kilometres west of Burkina Faso’s cap- and repeated flooding between 1999 works with the Permanent Interstates ital, Ouagadougou. It covered eight By September 2018, CILSS had and 2016, while recurring droughts Committee for Drought Control in modules ranging from the effects trained more than 275 government have also had an impact. the Sahel (CILSS), building knowl- of climate change on sustainable officials from ministries across the edge and capacity on climate change development through to prioritising region, including from Benin, Burkina “The consequences of drought on issues. Based in Burkina Faso, the options on adaptation and mitiga- Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, Senegal, agropastoral production, food se- centre has become region’s centre tion, budgeting, and monitoring and Chad, and Togo. Niger had also curity, and socio-economic life are of excellence on issues relating to evaluation. been supported to integrate climate disastrous,” says Maguette Kaire, the climate change. change issues into its livestock sec- GCCA+ coordinator in the region. The consultant produced a first draft tor. 14 NIGER CENTRE STUDIES CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE AND CLIMATE FINANCE 15 4. SAHEL Some two thirds of the Sahel’s 100 Niger, the Centre Regional Agrhymet sibilities and gave ideas on how to million population depend on agri- (CRA) takes students from all across access this funding.” culture for their survival, but climate the region, training future leaders – AGRICULTURE change threatens that very survival. on a range of issues including envi- The consultant also trained CILSS Droughts or even flooding can quickly ronment, agriculture, water, energy, staff to teach the modules them- devastate farms and livestock. environmental science, geography, selves. and more. Adaptation requires leaders and “This Masters course is very popular public servants who understand the The Intra-ACP GCCA Programme in Sahel countries,” says Maguette. challenge and techniques to over- financed an international consultant “Students learn from experts and re- come it. to help develop two modules for the searchers, who have long experience CRA’s Masters Programme on climate in the field.” “Agriculture is the key sector in the change and sustainable develop- Sahel and West African economies, ment. The two modules covered Still supported by the Intra-ACP but it faces a major challenge,” says climate-smart agriculture and climate GCCA+ Programme, further courses Maguette Kaire, GCCA+ Coordinator finance. are due in 2019 and 2020. in the Sahel. Both modules have proven to be very “To fight climate change, we need useful for the students, Maguette to understand it first so that we can says. The work on climate finance adopt solutions at national and local helps participants to understand the level,” he adds. opportunities for international support and to access further support for In June 2014, the Intra-ACP GCCA the region. Programme worked with the Centre Regional Agrhymet (CRA) to build “The module on climate finance that understanding. Based in Niamey, showed the diversity of funding pos- 16 17 FACTBOX – SAHEL - AGRICULTURE

Some two thirds of the Sahel’s 100 mil- • The UN also estimated that in the lion population depend on agriculture Sahel’s pastoral areas, 4.25 million or livestock. Here are some more facts people would need food assistance in about the impact of climate change on the 2018 lean season (May to August). farming and food security in the Sahel. As many as 6.8 million people may need humanitarian assistance. • Yields are low and over a third of crops are lost every year. • In 2011-2012, major drought left more than 18 million people facing hunger • Climate change may already be im- and 1 million children at risk of death pacting the region. In 2017, lack of rain from malnutrition. in many Sahel areas affected pasture availability and led to an early onset • In 2017, a report by the Potsdam of the lean season. Up to 40 and 95 Institute for Climate Impact Research, percent of the pastoral areas were said that climate change could one negatively affected in Chad and Mauri- day turn the Sahel green by chang- tania respectively. ing weather patterns and triggering more rain. However, the first few years • UNICEF has warned that well over 1.5 of the transition would involve very million children under the age of five erratic weather – extreme droughts may be affected by severe acute mal- followed by destructive floods. nutrition in 2018.

Sources: Sahel Alliance, United Nations, Reuters 18 SAMOA SEEKS PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENT ON DRINKING WATER 19

Surrounded by sea, small island de- sector involved is to develop pilot “The project addresses the steady 5. SAMOA veloping states lack easy access to projects that show both the demand reduction in potable ground water, drinking water, a major household ex- for a product and the profit opportu- water supply for coastal, rural and pense. In Samoa’s urban areas, house- nities. isolated communities and a sustain- - SOLAR WATER holds spent an average US$1,095 on able reduction in the cost or potable drinking water in 2014. Back in 2014, the Intra-ACP GCAA water available to urban communi- Programme helped Samoa with this ties,” the project proposal says. Rainfall is an important source of process, developing a pilot project PURIFICATION drinking water in the Pacific nation, to sell solar-powered water purifica- The project is another example of the but climate change is likely to reduce tion, one of six business proposals way in which Samoa is weening itself the amount of rain, even as saline to involve Samoa’s private sector in off carbon fuels such as diesel to take intrusion, rapidly growing urban pop- climate adaptation. advantage of its plentiful supplies ulations, and pollution all compound of sun and wind. Samoa is aiming to the issue. The project’s solar water purification generate 100 percent of its electricity systems consisted of a single panel from renewable sources. “Future demand for accessible, that looked like a solar panel measur- affordable and safe drinking water is ing 2.2 metres x 1 metre, with a stand. The consultant also helped find other a critical concern in Samoa,” says a Polluted or contaminated water potential donors for the projects, consultant from the Intra-ACP GCCA (including salt water) was fed into winning interest from the Carbon War Programme. the top of the panel, which then used Room, the Clinton Foundation, and sunlight to distil it. Pure water was the NAMA Facility too. As with other aspects of climate collected at the bottom. change, Samoa will have to adapt. This can be a costly business, but A single US$400 panel could supply a governments have limited resources, household with twenty litres of pure and they need support from donors water per day for a minimum of ten and the private sector. years and probably closer to 20 years or more. One first step to getting the private 20 21 FACTBOX – PACIFIC – CLIMATE CHANGE

The 15 Pacific nations of the ACP 15 percent of the globe’s surface. • In 2015, Pacific Island leaders Group include countries that are issued the Suva Declaration, a among the world’s most vulnerable • Papua New Guinea is the most call for firmer action on climate to the effects of climate change. populated nation with a popula- change. The Declaration said 2°C Here are some more facts about tion of 8 million. Niue has less than warming was “no longer safe for Pacific nations in the ACP Group. 2,000 people. the survival of our Pacific Small Island Developing States”. • The 15 nations are Fiji, the Cook • Kiribati is one of the most remote Islands, Kiribati, the Marshall and geographically dispersed • Some 1,700 residents of Papua Islands, the Federated States of countries in the world, consist- New Guinea have been named Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, ing of 33 coral atolls spread over the world’s first environmental Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solo- 3.5 million square kilometres of refugees. mon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, ocean, an area larger than India. Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. • Extreme weather conditions • According to the World Risk have forced more than 20,000 • Without Papua New Guinea and Report, five Pacific countries are Marshallese climate refugees to Timor Leste, the other Pacific na- among the top 20 countries most emigrate to the US. tions have a combined population at risk in the world, measured by of about 2.3 million people, scat- the highest average annual disas- tered across an area equivalent to ter losses as a proportion of GDP.

Sources: World Bank, Reuters, COP23 22 TANZANIA’S PEMBA ISLAND SHARES ITS REFORESTATION SUCCESS 23

Better known perhaps for its beaches be cut for firewood,” he said. “It also 6. TANZANIA - FORESTS and spices, the Tanzanian island of gives replanting programmes a chance Pemba has earned a reputation for its to take root.” reforestation too. The educational films have helped Roughly 50km from the Tanzanian spread the word about best practices in mainland and part of Tanzania’s Zanzibar land care, agroforestry, kitchen garden- archipelago, Pemba once suffered from ing, plant nursery development, apiary massive deforestation. But a successful care, and even how to build clay stoves reforestation project has brought the and sturdy housing with earth blocks. island back on track. Pemba’s reforestation began when Mba- In fact, the project has been so success- rouk Mussa Omar from Pemba visited ful that, in 2014, the Intra-ACP GCCA the nearby (and much smaller) island of Programme funded two consultants to Kokota. He was shocked at the deforest- produce a website, training videos, and ation and decided to take action on documentary so that others could learn Pemba. from this example. In 2007, he rallied community support “The clay stoves alone have had a huge and – with the support of a young Cana- impact,” said Craig Norris, the filmmaker dian, Jeff Schnurr – started a small-scale who spent over two months document- tree nursery. Communities began to ing the islanders’ efforts, referring to collect seeds from nearby forests. fuel-efficient stoves that reduce the pressure on forests. The seeds were sprouted in nurseries, built in the centre of each participat- “They’re twice as efficient as open-pit ing village. These nurseries became fires and that means less trees need to community centres, serving as a place 24 for women to meet, weave bas- 25 kets, share news, and grow trees. Over the years, communities trained each other, shared best practices, swapped seeds, and even shared seedlings when pests or disease de- stroyed neighbouring nurseries.

Since 2007, over one million trees have been planted for fruit, timber, and conservation.

“We have also planted because we want our children to know these trees,” says Farma Rashid Seif, a community member and tree planter. 26 GHANA SWAPS BURNING WOOD FOR BIOGAS 27

At the African Regent Hotel in “Based on the individual discussions portant success factor,” it added. 7. GHANA Ghana’s capital, Accra, toilet efflu- with stakeholders and the two well ent is producing valuable gas for the attended stakeholder consultation Biogas also saves lives through safer hotel kitchen. Stored in a storage workshops, it seems there is an urge cooking. The pollution from indoor - BIOGAS balloon, the biogas travels through felt by all stakeholders to take insti- cooking kills an estimated 1.6 million a pipe to the kitchen, substituting tutional biogas for sanitation a step people each year, more than malaria. normal cooking gas. forward,” the feasibility study said. In a house with open fire, the level of small particles in the air is 3060 μg/ Biogas – the gas that comes from “The anticipated 200 systems should m3, much more than the EU’s recom- organic waste – is a clean, safe, and kick-start the development of the mended maximum of 40 μg/m3. decentralised way to generate en- biogas market in Ghana.” ergy for cooking. It reduces deforest- In Ghana, cookstoves and dirty fuels ation and brings a multitude of other The feasibility study looked at private kill about 13,400 people each year. benefits including better sanitation, companies in Ghana, noting their ex- safer cooking, and better health. pertise in building biogas installations and noted that the development of a By 2014, Ghana had begun to tap into market for biogas installations could the biogas opportunity, with an es- generate many local jobs. timated 400 biogas installations. But it wanted to increase its renewable Interest rates and access to finance energy generation. have a huge influence on the economic viability of biogas digester The Intra-ACP GCCA programme systems, but the socio-economic and funded a consultant to work with the environmental benefits of institutional Energy Commission of Ghana (GEC), biogas for society outweigh the costs conducting a feasibility study. The by far, the report said. consultant also helped establish institutional biogas systems in 200 board- “The direct involvement of govern- ing schools, hospitals, and prisons. ment and state institutions is an im- 28 CÔTE D’IVOIRE LOOKS TO PROTECT ITS ERODING COASTLINE 29

Away from the urban centres, Côte The consultants travelled along the d’Ivoire’s coastline, one of the longest coast, visiting coastal erosion and in the region, is a rich mix of forests, fishermen in the region, then organ- lakes, cocoa plantations, rubber, palm ised a workshop in Abidjan. oil, pineapple, and palm-lined, sandy beaches, perfect for tourism. Workshop participants – which included 22 participants from govern- But all this is under threat. Climate ment and civil society – ranked the change and rising sea levels are ex- top problems as rising sea levels, loss acerbating coastal erosion, which af- of mangroves, increased tempera- fects two thirds of the coastline. The tures, changing ecology, and aggres- coastline is retreating about seven sive erosion. metres per year. Besides coastal erosion, Côte d’Ivoire “Last week, the ocean took away and other West African countries also part of my house while my family was face the threat of increased flooding, sleeping inside,” a 32-year-old fisher- caused by storm surges and intense man told journalists. rainstorms.

“When the big waves come, they can By sharing knowledge and under- easily kill you.” standing, the workshop helped build 8. CÔTE D’IVOIRE political consensus in the country The Intra-ACP GCCA Programme for action on coastal erosion. In April financed two consultants to visit 2018, the World Bank approved a re- coastal regions, work with govern- gional project to boost the resilience - COASTAL EROSION ment departments and hold a work- of coastal communities in six coun- shop in August 2012. tries of West Africa. 30 31 FACTBOX – WEST AFRICA - COASTAL EROSION

Climate change is set to affect and social unrest in the past dec- ened by floods and aggravated coastal populations in West Africa, ade. In 2014-2015, Liberia, Sierra coastal erosion. Economic losses especially the poor, whose already Leone, and Guinea suffered the have been estimated to be about precarious livelihoods depend on worst Ebola epidemic in history. 2.3 percent of Togo’s GDP in 2013 the quality and quantity of natural and 3.2 percent of Mauritania’s resources. Here are some more • West African economies have GDP in 2014. facts about the West African coast- been growing steadily, but they line. continue to depend heavily on • The West African coastline is also natural resources such as fish- susceptible to increased flood- • The West African coastline in- eries, fossil fuel, minerals, and ing caused by storm surges and cludes 17 countries and stretches timber. intense rainstorms. from Mauritania to Gabon. Eight of these countries have a GDP • West Africa’s coastal areas • Degradation of coastal resources per capita of less than US$1,000, account for 42 percent of the and ecosystems is accelerating ranking among the lowest in the region’s GDP, almost one third of due to increasing population world. the region’s population. pressure on the coast, demand for resources, unplanned coastal • Many of these countries have • Every year, an average 500,000 development, and climate gone through conflict or political people in the region are threat- change.

Source: World Bank 32 CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES REDUCE THEIR CARBON EMISSIONS 33

9. CARIBBEAN Caribbean island states have tiny Dominican Republic to provide tech- style. Participants said the workshop carbon footprints when compared to nical assistance and capacity building was timely, applicable and accom- larger, more industrialised nations, for CARIFORUM countries to “create plished what it was intended for. yet they bear the brunt of climate a common baseline of understanding The cross-fertilisation of ideas and – NDC change impacts such as rising sea lev- and preparation of INDCs and their country experiences was particularly els and extreme weather events. potential to deliver on national devel- useful. opment aspirations”. Despite this, COP19 in 2013 decided The transition to a low carbon econ- PREPARATION that all parties to the UNFCCC - even Belize, Cuba, Dominican Repub- omy is challenging for many Carib- those with comparatively small car- lic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, and St. bean governments, but doing so will bon footprints – had to submit plans Kitts all attended the workshop, and enable them to reduce fuel imports, to reduce their CO2 emissions. These although four of the countries had save on foreign exchange and pro- plans were known as the intended already drawn up their INDCs, the mote the use of sustainable energy. nationally determined contributions workshop was an opportunity to (INDCs). The deadline for their sub- revise and refine their plans. missions was COP23 in Paris in 2015. By the end of the four-day workshop, Linked to this, the Caribbean Commu- one country - Belize - had submit- nity Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) ted its INDC from scratch using the asked the Intra-ACP GCCA Pro- guidance provided, and the Belize gramme to guide Caribbean states representative commented that the through the complex process and workshop had inspired him to do so. strengthen capacity to prepare their INDCs. The workshop was close to the submission deadline, but partici- In 2015, a few months before the Paris pants were overwhelmingly positive. Conference, the Intra-ACP GCCA Feedback included praise for the Programme ran a workshop in the practical approach and interactive 34 35 FACT BOX – CARIBBEAN – CLIMATE CHANGE

Caribbean states have some of the across Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, world’s lowest greenhouse gas emis- Turks and Caicos Islands, Anguilla, St. sions, but are among the world’s coun- Maarten, and St. Barts. It significantly tries most vulnerable to the impacts of damaged the Bahamas and Haiti, and climate change. Here are some more affected St. Kitts and Nevis. facts about climate change in the Car- ibbean region. • Most small islands are heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels • If current trends continue, the Car- for the majority of their energy ibbean region could warm a further requirements, particularly transport 2-3°C this century, more than the 1°C and electricity production. In the already seen in the last century. Caribbean, petroleum imports are responsible for more than 75 percent • Annual rainfall in the region could of primary energy demand. decrease by up to 40 percent, pos- ing a significant challenge to already • Fossil fuels account for an average of water stressed islands. 15 percent of all imports to Carib- bean countries. • Caribbean sea levels could rise by one to two metres, far exceeding the • 33 percent of all households in Bar- rise already recorded. bados use solar water heaters.

• In 2017, Hurricane Irma caused • 75 percent of electricity on Guade- US$14.8 billion in damage and killed loupe is generated from wind power. more than 40 people as it swept

Sources: IPCC 36 CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES LOOK TO NATURE FOR PROTECTION FROM CLIMATE CHANGE 37 10. CARIBBEAN Climate change impacts on the Carib- The four-day ‘train the trainer’ work- more than 30 people. The storm bean region include rising sea levels, shop trained 36 instructors from 10 also made nearly 900 homeless and extreme weather events, unpredicta- OECS countries, identifying and ana- caused US$482.8 million of damage. - ECOSYSTEMS ble rainfall and food insecurity. Small lysing the links between ecosystems, On the workshop’s fourth day, par- island nations in the region can use disaster risk reduction, resilience ticipants visited some of the worst natural ecosystems to increase their and climate change. It also looked at impacted areas. resilience and adaptation. mainstreaming eco-based DDR/CCA into development policies, plans and The workshop was designed to be as Mangroves, for example, act as a bar- strategies. Participants included engi- interactive and ‘real world’ as possi- rier between the sea and land, help- neers, fisheries managers and NGO ble. Each participant had to prepare ing to mitigate the impact of storm workers. a case study, including a risk-hazard surges and rising sea levels. However, map based on the real life challenges many of the Caribbean region’s man- “The fact that different departments of their own island nations. Each grove forests have been degraded and job functions were represented, participant identified at least one or cut for coastal development. This not just different island nations, opportunity that could benefit from damage makes coastlines more vul- added greatly to the richness of the an eco-DRR/CCA approach in their nerable to flooding and erosion. discussion and experiences that were own country, some of which were exchanged,” the trainers said in their proposed to decision-makers when In 2016, the Organisation of Eastern mission report. they returned home. Caribbean States (OECS) requested the Intra-ACP GCCA Programme to The workshop was held on the island train instructors in disaster and envi- of Dominica, which had been hit by ronmental management. The aim was Hurricane Erika in 2015. In less than 48 to build capacity for eco-based disas- hours, more than 200 mm of rain had ter risk reduction and climate change fallen across the entire island. The adaptation (DDR/CCA). heavy rains caused catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides which killed 38 39 FACTBOX – CARIBBEAN – CLIMATE CHANGE

The Caribbean region is one of the up to 40 percent shoreline pro- world’s most vulnerable regions to tection against storm surges and climate change, but nature and eco- beach erosion. systems may help to protect these small island nations from the worst • A healthy reef reduces wave impacts of climate change. Here are energy by up to 97 percent, and some facts about ecosystems and the just 100 meters of mangroves can ways that they could help to protect reduce wave height by 66 percent. Caribbean nations. • The cost-benefit ratio of return on • Climate change impacts such as investment of appropriate restora- sea level rise are projected to cost tion of ecosystems may be as high the Caribbean region US$187 billion as 3:75, depending on the eco- by 2080. system context and the measures taken. • Coral reef and mangrove revival in Barbados could reduce the • The most important coastal eco- potential damage from climate systems for mitigating the conse- change-related losses by 35 per- quences of climate change in the cent. In Jamaica, coral reefs and Caribbean are mangrove forests, sea grasses were found to provide seagrass meadows and coral reefs.

Sources: IFRC / ReliefWeb, Convention on Biological Diversity, UNEP www.acp.int

An initiative of the ACP Group of States funded by the European Union’s European Development Fund