Climate change impacts and research in the Caribbean: Constraints, opportunities and the role of tertiary institutions

Abstract

Climate change is anticipated to have, and is already having, negative impacts on small island developing states (SIDS). Biophysical impacts include sea level rise, increased coastal erosion, ocean acidification and increased frequency of extreme events, leading to incidents of loss and damage in these states. The impacts of loss and damage are leading to negative consequences for the economies of these states, including shrinking public budgets, decreased availability of finances, negative impacts on industries such as fishing and tourism, as well as negative impacts on livelihoods, leading to what the authors argue is an unvirtuous cycle of eroding development and resilience. Given the severity of these impacts, it would be assumed that increased research on climate change, and its impacts, would have been ramped up in these states. However, Caribbean states suffer from capacity constraints, and research, including systematic observation, particularly of slow onset events, has consequentially been limited. The lack of localised data on climate change further hampers research initiatives in tertiary institutions. This paper seeks to explore the relationship between capacity constraints in Caribbean SIDS and research gaps in climate change. This paper provides a brief analysis of current activities of tertiary institutions in the region in relation to climate change and seeks to provide remarks on how research efforts in the region can be further coordinated and improved by bridging existing capacity constraints.