Climate Change in the Caribbean

Climate Change and Illicit Economic Activities

Environmental crimes can bear dire consequences for those who live in the Caribbean and the broader global ecosystem. Holistic responses are needed to address the root causes of environmental crimes, but for many countries, the scope of illicit economic activity exceeds enforcement capacity. Since the repercussions of these crimes pertain to the national interests of states in the wider international community, the Caribbean should look to expand existing programmatic responses with support from various regional and extra-regional sources.

Climate Finance and the Caribbean

The costs of dealing with climate change are massive and daunting. Though the Caribbean is keenly aware of the risks posed by climate change and is working hard to raise levels of preparedness, resilience, and sustainability, the region is wrestling with financing the bills associated with such efforts. Hence, finding innovative solutions to unlock financing to adapt is one of the most pressing matters for the region. Without proper financing, its ecosystems and citizens will endure growing climate-related risks as the effects of climate change intensify.

The Future of the Blue Economy

The fight against climate change is at a critical inflection point, and, as such, it necessitates novel economic approaches. Caribbean governments looking toward the future know the regional economy needs to adopt a robust sustainability approach. The blue economy offers an exciting and creative path for Caribbean governments, private sectors, and non-profit organizations to play a major role in how the region interacts with its neighbors and what kind of future it will create for its population. This report defines the Blue Economy and offers recommendations for regional and extra-regional policymakers to introduce forward-thinking measures.

Press Release: Launch of the Climate Change in the Caribbean Project

Global Americans is proud to launch a research project to study climate change in the Caribbean. As a first step in this project, Global Americans has assembled a High-Level Working Group on Climate Change in the Caribbean, comprised of scholars, diplomats, and leaders in both the public and private sector. Over the coming months, Global Americans staff will collaborate with the High-Level Working Group to study the political, economic, and social consequences of climate change for the region.

Climate change knows no borders. A failure to address climate change today means the costs of that inaction will invariably be passed down to future generations. Perhaps no region in the world faces a graver threat from climate change than the Caribbean, which, despite its small contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, still stands as one of the most climate-vulnerable regions in the world. Given rising global emissions, scientists expect the effects of natural disasters and sea-level rise to worsen by 2050, putting the livelihoods of people in the Caribbean at significant risk. As new climate-related events inevitably arise, international cooperation will be vital for disaster recovery and resilience. To promote collaboration between key U.S. and Caribbean actors, Global Americans has assembled policymakers, scholars, government officials, and civil society representatives to form a High-Level Working Group on Climate Change in the Caribbean. In addition to publishing a series of reports on the social, political, and economic impacts of climate change in the region, Global Americans will convene a series of public and private roundtables. These conversations will allow policymakers to engage across various issues under the climate change umbrella.

The fight against climate change is at a critical inflection point. Given that climate change will have global impacts, only enduring and coordinated efforts can adequately address the problem. Therefore, this project will provide an ongoing forum where U.S. and Caribbean representatives can collaboratively shape the hemisphere’s agenda on climate change. The project will address a myriad of climate change issues, including––among others––climate finance, climate resilience, illicit economic activities, and the future of the blue economy.

Ine Apapoe (Suriname) Lecturer, Anton de Kom University
Verónica Arias (Ecuador) Executive Director, CC35
Dr. Anthony T. Bryan (Trinidad and Tobago) Non-resident Senior Associate, CSIS
Dr. Samantha Chaitram (Trinidad and Tobago) Lecturer, Trinidad and Tobago Police Training Academy
Amb. Anton Edmunds (St. Lucia) Senior Advisor on Caribbean Affairs, Inter-American Development Bank; Former St. Lucia Ambassador to the United States
Dr. Georges Fauriol (United States) Fellow, Global Americans; Co-chair, Caribbean Policy Consortium
Allison Fedirka (United States) Director of Analysis, Geopolitical Futures
Dr. Richard Feinberg (United States) Member, Global Americans International Advisory Council; Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Diego
Shiloh Fetzek (United States) Senior Fellow, Center for Climate and Security
Amb. Carlos C. Fuller (Belize) Belize Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Ama Francis (Dominica) Climate Displacement Project Strategist, International Refugee Assistance Project
John Goedschalk (Suriname) Executive Director, Conservation International-Suriname
Dr. Ivelaw Griffith (Guyana) Fellow, Global Americans; Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Guyana
Rasheed Griffith (Barbados) Non-resident Senior Fellow, Inter-American Dialogue
Dr. Legena Henry (Trinidad and Tobago) Lecturer, University of the West Indies, Cavehill
Amb. Riyad Insanally (Guyana) Former Guyana Ambassador to the United States and the OAS
Dr. Scott B. MacDonald (United States) Fellow, Global Americans; Chief Economist, Smith’s Research & Gradings
Dame Billie Miller (Barbados) Member, Global Americans International Advisory Council; Former Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados
Anaitée Mills (Jamaica) Chair, Jamaica Energy Resilience Alliance
Luis Gilberto Murillo (Colombia) On Leave, Global Americans International Advisory Council; Colombia Ambassador to the United States
Dr. Claire Nelson (Jamaica) Founder and Director, Institute of Caribbean Studies
Heiny Palacios (Colombia) Youth Environment Network Chocó, Lead Organizer
Dr. Justin Ram (Barbados) Former Director of Economics, Caribbean Development Bank
Ivan Rebolledo (United States) Chair, Global Americans Board of Directors; Managing Partner, TerraNova Strategic Partners LLC
Alex Rosaria (Curaçao) Former Member, Parliament of Curaçao
Sir Ronald Sanders (Antigua and Barbuda) Antigua and Barbuda Ambassador to the United States and the OAS
Dr. Kalim Shah (Trinidad and Tobago) Assistant Professor, University of Delaware
Dr. Lorraine Sobers (Trinidad and Tobago) Lecturer, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Tulio Vera (Chile) Chair, Global Americans International Advisory Council; Former Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Latin America Private Bank
Lisa Viscidi (United States) Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting
Bruce Zagaris (United States) Partner, Berliner Corcoran & Rowe LLP