Regional perspectives on policy and planning for climate change

1. Regional perspectives on policy and planning for climate change Mr. Franklin McDonald

2. POLICY RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS & CHALLENGES F J McDONALD UNEP CEP/RCU & UWI ISD fjm.uneprcuja@cwjamaica.com Conference on Climate Change Impacts on the CaribbeanJune 15th - 17th, 2007

3. Consensus? • Climate change is a significant environmental, economic and social issue in the Wider Caribbean Region. • Its direct impacts include changes in temperature; rainfall intensities, distribution and amounts; and sea level. Indirect impacts from severe weather and drought, etc are not yet fully understood but are likely to be negative. • Societal implications for public health, crop yields, food security and the performance of economic sectors such as tourism, agriculture, financial services are poorly understood. Its implications for livlihoods and revenue generation at the local, national and regional levels and for critical sectors is also not fully understood. • Caribbean societies have demonstrated limited capacity for assessing and responding to such emerging issues and trends hence Climate Change presents a special cluster of challenges to the public good and the strategists, policy and decision making communitty at regional, national and sectoral levels.

4. GLOBAL - LOCAL Issues • GLOBAL • UNFCCC / IPCC + MEAs • Hyogo Framework on Risk Reduction • MDGs + SIDS BPOA / Mauritius Strategy • Issues / Challenges: ST Contribution .. Peer Review Process .. Model Building capacity .. Knowledge Demands on Climate and Global Systems .. Misinformation campaign by Fossil Fuel players .. SIDS / Group of 77 Tensions .. “Canary” Consortia (AOSIS Re Insurers Arctic collaboration) • Significant capacity challenges have been addressed. Increased consensus regarding the CRISIS!

5. Regional – National Rollout • HEMISPHERIC / REGIONAL • Facilitating Actions • Incongruence in Hemispheric / Regional / Political / Technical Organs • REGIONAL CAPACITY Evolution • DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS Support • WMO + Academic + Research Networks structures • STRATEGIES Based on Shared Risk Exposures • CPACC / MACC Focal Activity • ISSUES • Further policy initiatives via ACS / ECLAC etc • National (in)security, trade, migration, livelihoods • Convergence of Risk Reduction Agendas

6. National – Local Rollout • STATUS of NATIONAL Strategies, Policies, Programmes and Projects, ACTION Plans? • Capacity Issues – ST; Governance; Resarch • Scale Issues • Scaling down GLOBAL SYSTEMS / MODELS • Resilience • TOURISM, Agriculture, Energy Supply, • Revenues, Livlihoods, Coastal+ Infrastructure • Mainstreaming • Investment, Development, Culture • Private Sector, Civil Society and Societal norms • Hyogo Risk Reduction Framework

9. National and Local Action • Public Awareness • Partnerships • Policy and legislation • Resource Mobilization incl Funding • Institutional Arrangements • Benchmarks and Indicators • Implememtation / Enforcement • Application of Studies • UNEP 1989 Climate Change Review as an example • National Communications

10. Developing / Evolving Risk Averse Disaster (Sensitive) Culture (nb High Social Science role And interdependency!) 4: Policy + Laws + Implemen - tation 3 Logic + Analysis ST Inve- stment 2:Rhetoric / Bawlout Advcacy 5: Mainstreaming via Culture + Enforcement 1: Inception Public outcry After incident/ disaster)

13. Planning Processes must … • Cover credible scenarios, events and incidents, their mitigation and their potential consequence(s) • Large, medium and small scale • Natural / Man induced / High / Low Probability • Effects on Human, Natural, Social and Economic systems (not just Capital Assets) • Include “Extension” style Communication and Information Management catering to all levels • Protect people, property, natural resources, physical assets • Be based on systematic planning and a phased response • Cover all phases including return to ‘normalcy’ • Be part of MAINSTREAM / CORE Functions of government and its Private / Civil Society Partners in Small Island States

14. New Challenge:Reducing Climate Change Risk = Protecting the SOCIETY / Livelihoods / the ECONOMY • TOURISM / AGRICULTURE / REVENUE STREAMS • CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE .. Sea Defense Works • FINANCIAL SECTOR • MARINE SERVICES • GLOBALISED WORLD .. Manage Chain of Supply Issues including INFORMATION / PERCEPTIONS

15. Effective coping systems • Sensitisation / Vulnerability Awareness / Capacity Building systems must involve a chain of actors and processes • Narrow “technical” conceptions of such systems leave weak links in the chain where failures occur (eg Warning System failures in Haiti 2004, Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004?) • “Mainstreamed” = ‘infused’ into education and culture as well as the business and livelihood related societal value systems. Shared Societal Knowledge of the risks faced by Communities = Risk ‘Culture’ Knowledge and capacity for timely threat adaptation, mitigation, loss reduction action (pre, during, post incidents) at appropriate levels ‘Technical’ awareness = zoning, safer built env; & monitoring + Alert / Warn’g Services Wide Formal and Informal Diffusion/ Dissemination of Useable risk info products

16. RESILIENCE BUILDING: A Societal Safety Chain?

17. Challenges • Knowledge Gap • Continued need for Research and Knowledge at all scales • Capacity Gap • Climate Change challenge for Public Policy, Social and Resource Management Agencies • Enterprises and Private Sector Managers • Implementation Gap • Are we fully utilising ALL the existing knowledge regarding Climate Change Impacts to increase RESILIENCE at all levels in all sectors?