Climate Change Adaptation in Grenada: Water Resources, Coastal Ecosystems and Renewable Energy

This publication is the product of an international study led by the Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Foreign Trade and Export Development of Grenada. The completion of the report on Climate Change Adaptation in Grenada: Water Resources, Coastal Ecosystems and Renewable Energy is the result of an intensive effort by experts from Grenada, consultants and personnel from the United Nations who actively have participated in meetings, workshops, field trips, data collection and analysis since 2010. The study is part of a larger project being conducted by the DSD on “Integrating Climate Change into National Sustainable Development Strategies and Plans in Latin America and the Caribbean,” funded from the United Nations Development Account.

The assessments performed and projects proposed in this study represent an attempt to move forward with the practical implementation of climate change adaptation programmes and their integration into national plans for sustainable development. The study supports the global efforts on defining national strategies for sustainable development and on addressing some of the main critical issues affecting Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and highlighted at the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20 Conference).

No study on climate change adaptation for sustainable development can be final and definitive. To be useful, the assessment process must evolve over time to fit everchanging climate change impacts, conditions, priorities and national sustainable development criteria. This publication summarizes initial analysis, findings and proposals of three critical areas for Grenada. The study serves as a starting point for the development of a more in-depth and comprehensive analysis of climate change impacts and adaptation programmes for Grenada and other SIDS. It is hoped that the experiences and lessons learned from this study will provide valuable information and knowledge to other countries interested in addressing climate change and in achieving progress towards nationally defined sustainable development goals and objectives. It is also hoped that future studies will contribute to refinements in the proposed assessment and approach
adding their own unique perspectives to what has been learned herein.