RESILIENCE

Oct-Dec 2014
Volume 1, Issue 1

Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project

Climate Resilience Programme
BUILDING RESILIENCE AND REDUCING VULNERABILITY
The Government of Saint Lucia has received assistance from the World Bank to con-
tribute to efforts at building resilience and reducing vulnerability to disasters. The
Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP), valued at US$68 million, directly
addresses the goals and objectives established in the Saint Lucia SPCR, which seeks
to achieve transformative impact by improving national resilience to adverse natural
events and longer-term impacts resulting from climate change.

The objective of the DVRP is to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards and climate
change impacts in Saint Lucia. The Project aims to reduce immediate disaster vulner-
ability and increase long-term climate resilience by addressing the multi-faceted risks
associated with hydro-meteorological events. In addition, the project is financing
emergency recovery and reconstruction activities following the December 2013
flooding event.

The DVRP will be implemented over a 6-year period (2014-2020) and comprises the
following five components:
 Component 1: Risk Reduction and Adaptation Measures (US$50.4 million).
This component would support structural and non-structural flood and landslide
risk reduction interventions and climate adaptation measures to improve Saint
Lucia’s resilience against current and future climatic shocks. Additionally, the
component would finance the reconstruction of critical infrastructure damaged
during the December 2013 flooding, using the ‘build back better’ approach. INSIDE THIS ISSUE
 Component 2: Technical Assistance for Improved Assessment and Application
Earth Keeps Us Warm .............2
of Disaster and Climate Risk Information in Decision-Making (US$8.6 million).
This component will support capacity building for open systems and platforms to A Vision for Saint Lucia ...........2
create, share, analyze and use disaster risk and climate change data and infor- Global WarmingInside Story...3
mation for improved decision making and engineering design for risk reduction Can We Afford Disasters .........3
and climate change adaptation.
Coordinating Efforts ................4
 Component 3: Climate Adaptation Financing Facility (CAFF) (US$5.0 million).
Blueprint for Action .................5
This component is designed to pilot a financing mechanism meant to encourage
and facilitate climate adaptation amongst Saint Lucian households and business-
es. Loans will be offered to finance works and activities which build the resili- POINTS OF INTEREST
ence of assets and livelihoods to adverse hydro-meteorological events.
 Can we afford not to act
 Component 4: Contingent Emergency Response (US$1.0 million). This provi-
now?
sional component will allow rapid re-categorization and reallocation of project
financing from other project components to partially cover emergency response  Living with a changing
and recovery costs associated with a natural catastrophe. The component would climate in a disaster prone
region
only be triggered upon formal declaration of an emergency by the Government of
Saint Lucia, in accordance with the Saint Lucia Constitution Order 1978.
 Component 5: Project Management and Implementation Support (US$3.0 mil-
lion). This component will finance activities required for efficient project man-
agement and implementation through the provision of technical advisory ser-
vices, staffing, training, operating costs and acquisition of goods.
 Some gases in the atmos-
phere have the ability to
trap the sun’s heat and
keep the Earth warm.
Without these gases the
Earth would be too cold
for us to live on. These
heat trapping gases are
known as greenhouse
gases and include carbon
dioxide and water vapor,
among others.

Disasters affect all of us. Climate change is predicted to worsen

disaster impacts

A VISION FOR A CLIMATE RESILIENT SAINT LUCIA

Saint Lucia, as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), faces many develop-
SAINT LUCIA ment challenges, including limited geographic space; an open, vulnerable econ-
omy; fragile ecosystems; limited human and institutional capacity; and vulnera-
AND bility to natural phenomena, such as extreme weather and slow onset events,
HER PEOPLE, such as droughts. Climate change poses another major threat to Saint Lucia’s
THEIR development and will impact on every major economic sector and social group.
Saint Lucia’s vulnerability to climate change and variability is also influenced
LIVELIHOODS, by several non-climatic drivers such as the global financial crises, rising com-
SOCIAL SYSTEMS modity prices and poverty.
AND
For a climate-vulnerable country like Saint Lucia, adaptation to climate change
ENVIRONMENT
is a critical development priority. Vulnerabilities to climate hazards exist across
ARE
all sectors and key challenges in enhancing resilience to climate change in Saint
RESILIENT Lucia preserving human life and sustaining livelihoods, protecting human settle-
TO THE RISKS AND ments and critical infrastructure, promoting sustainable land use, ensuring ade-
quacy and quality of water and food supply, collecting and analyzing climate
IMPACTS OF change-related data and information support decision-making, and ensuring the
CLIMATE CHANGE existence and adequacy of relevant governance and management systems.

Saint Lucia Climate Consequently, the Government of Saint Lucia has formulated policies on cli-
Change Policy (revised mate change to direct action on the ground relating to resilience building and
2014) adaptation. The Saint Lucia Climate Change Policy (1992; revised in 2014) and
Saint Lucia Strategic Program for Climate Resilience defines a vision for the
country that is premised on its long term goal for climate resilience.
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GLOBAL WARMING, CLIMATE CHANGE AND
SEA LEVEL RISE WHY BE CONCERNED?

Already, the painful and

devastating impacts of hur-
ricanes in recent times are
indelibly etched in the
minds, journals and econo-
mies of the entire region.
Climate change will add to
these woes.

Climate change impacts

will have serious deleteri-
ous environmental, social
and economic consequenc-
es for Saint Lucia and other
small island developing
States. The impacts on
small islands have been
explored by many scientists
and, in general, the forecast
is that sea level will rise
leading to greater coastal
flooding and damage to
shorelines and infrastruc-
The Industrial Revolution which was the transition to new manufactur- ture from storm surge, ero-
ing processes in 1760 to sometime about 1840, brought about some sion and threats to liveli-
unexpected changes to the atmosphere. The Industrial Revolution hoods. It is further antici-
moved us away from hand production methods to machines, new chem- pated that droughts will
ical manufacturing, iron production processes, improved efficiency of become more severe affect-
water power, the increasing use of steam power, and the development ing freshwater supplies.
of machine tools. However, of greater concern is that this period also Reefs, which provide habi-
included the change from wood and other bio-fuels to coal and later tats for fish and other ma-
other fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide rine life, are already being
and other heat trapping gases (also known as greenhouses gases) into affected by elevated sea
the atmosphere. Therefore, this revolution also resulted in greenhouse temperatures leading to cor-
gases being released at a faster rate than ever before, causing more heat al bleaching and death af-
to become trapped in the atmosphere. fecting food production and
livelihoods. Saint Lucia
Now not only are we emitting more heat trapping gases, such as carbon further notes warnings that
dioxide into the atmosphere, but we are also destroying forests and pol- the intensity of storms will
luting oceans, two systems that help remove carbon dioxide from the increase causing more
atmosphere. widespread damage than
ever before.
The overall amount of carbon dioxide now reaching the atmosphere
has, and will continue to increase as these activities go on, resulting is
global warming. Unfortunately, global warming is resulting in a
changing climate, and sea level rise.
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WE CAN ADAPT CAN WE AFFORD NOT TO BECOME MORE
Our society has become accustomed to a relatively CLIMATE RESILIENT ?
stable and predictable climate. However, rising
global temperatures is bringing changes to our
climate that can affect our water supplies, agricul- Damage and Loss relating to Recent Storms in Saint
ture (food security), tourism product (economic Lucia
stability) and even our health and safety.

While, as a small island, we cannot prevent the Event Year Economic Impact
climate from changing, each one of us can take (US$ millions)
action to reduce the impacts of climate change on
our lives. Climate change will negatively impact December Trough 2013 99.88
water resources. Water is a cross-cutting theme
that is key to all sectors of society. Access to Hurricane Tomas 2010 336.00
adequate supplies of clean water is critical to
health, quality of life and sustained growth and
development. Much of the economy is tied direct- Hurricane Dean 2007 18.80
ly or indirectly to supplies of water — from farm-
ing, commercial, and industrial development to Hurricane Ivan 2004 2.60
tourism and recreational sectors. Growth in these
areas will depend on sustaining the benefits of Storm Lily 2002 20.00
adequate and clean water resources. With fore-
seen negative impacts of climate change on water
resources, it is imperative that water resources are Recall Hurricane Tomas—The total cost of the damage
utilized as efficiently as possible to ensure ade-
quate supplies and defer costly investments in
and losses to the different sectors amounted to EC$907.7
water supply augmentation. Investments in water million or US$336.2 million. The scale of the event can
conservation initiatives are cost effective and have be gleaned from comparing the total impact with key
far-reaching impacts related to building resilience economic indicators. The total impact represents 43.4%
to climate change. of GDP, nine times agricultural GDP, three times tourism
GDP, 62% of exports of goods and services, 19% of
Adopt water-saving habits
gross domestic investment and 47% of public external
 Take shorter, less frequent showers: this not
only saves water, but also saves on energy debt.
which is needed to transport water to your
home.
 Use the laundry machine only with a full load
of clothes.
 Choose energy efficient appliances, COORDINATING EFFORTS
 Wash cars only when necessary and use a
bucket rather than a hose. In 1998, the Cabinet of Ministers established an inter-agency
 Avoid hosing down or power-washing your coordinating mechanism to facilitate climate change adapta-
deck, walkways or driveway. tion. This committee, the National Climate Change Commit-
 Regularly look for and fix leaks. tee (NCCC), comprises a number of public and private sector
 Install water efficient retrofits, including low agencies, and coopts agencies or individuals as is needed.
flow shower heads, faucets and toilets.
Over the years, the NCCC has helped to guide national efforts
 Install rainwater harvesting and storage sys-
tems on your home and business. relating to: climate change adaptation and building resilience;
 Collect and use as much rain water as possi- national climate change action plans and mitigation strategies;
ble, for example, to flush toilets. and education, training and public awareness campaigns de-
signed to engage the general populace on the adverse impacts
For more good habits to adopt, keep an eye out for associated with climate change.
future Resilience newsletters. These actions will
not only help you become more resilient to cli-
mate change and climate related disasters, but will
also save you money.

4
A BLUEPRINT FOR ACTION

The national Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR) and Investment Plan (2011) emanated
from the Climate Change Adaptation Policy, both being products of Phase 1 of then PPCR. The SPCR
was channelled for endorsement via the Government of Saint Lucia through the PPCR focal point, that
is, the Ministry of Finance. The SPCR serves as one of the mechanisms to scale up investment in cli-
mate resilience measures and to integrate climate risk and resilience into core development planning and
investments. The Program provides the broad project and program areas for all sectors, themes and are-
as, in pursuit of enhanced climate resilience, well beyond the timeframe of funding currently available;
and as such, is considered the “blueprint” for national investment in climate change resilience-building,

Storms will become more intense as the climate continues to change

FIND THE TERMS RELATED TO CLIMATE AND DISASTERS

Word Search: Identify 12 terms related to the themes climate change and disasters. Answers in next Newsletter Issue.

W Z G C R B I K K R E T R O F I T T
A E S D L U S V K H S I D M L C E F
L G A C G I L P O A W N R C B B L S
Z T S T R F M H Y F O F G H J J D T
E A L E H V M A G I T S R H N R P O
S P G C L E U V T X R X D U A M F R
I R L S D A R A D E D V H Z J I J M
R Y O S V Q T Q S S C E A R I T F S
L O B R A P L I E I P H C D F I R U
E T I R A U L L S V B G A A S G I R
V R A D Y I S R W N M G R N K A L G
E R A T E D L U I A E C E G G T D E
L A S N T I A J E H B L N D P E I C
A S C V U L N E R A B I L I T Y L O
E E S G B L S T O T B J E A S E O E
S N O I T C U D E R R E T S A S I D

5
 RESILIENCE
LIVING WITH THE THREAT OF DISASTER AND
Upcoming news: A CHANGING CLIMATE
 A campaign to change our
action to save our home
 Low-interest loans availa-
ble for households and
businesses to build resili-
ence
 Watershed management
policy to inform decision
making
 Managing Saint Lucia’s
wastewater
 Exploring options for
enhancing coral reef and
seagrass ecosystems
 Building more climate-
resilient infrastructure

We need to build back

For more information, please better:
contact:

Sustainable Development and

more resilient to storms
Environment Division,
Ministry of Sustainable
and hurricanes
Development, Energy, Science and
Technology
Choc, Castries

Phone: 758 451 8746

E-mail: sdestaff@govt.lc;
sdestaff@googlegroups.com