CBIT | Climate Adaptation & Financing

What is climate change adaptation?

Adaptation refers to adjustments in ecological, social, or economic systems in response to current or anticipated climatic changes and their impacts. It encompasses changes in processes, practices, and structures to moderate potential damages or leverage opportunities arising from climate change. Essentially, countries and communities must develop adaptation solutions and implement actions to address both present and future climate-related impacts.

Adaptation measures can vary widely, tailored to the specific circumstances of communities, businesses, organisations, countries, or regions. There is no universal solution, as adaptation efforts may include constructing flood defenses, establishing early warning systems for cyclones, transitioning to drought-resistant crops, or reconfiguring communication systems, business strategies, and governmental policies. However, adaptation is a critical component of the long-term global response to climate change protect people, livelihoods and ecosystems. Countries should adopt a country-driven, gender-responsive, participatory, and transparent approach, taking into account vulnerable groups, communities, and ecosystems. Moreover, adaptation strategies should be informed by best available science and, as appropriate, traditional knowledge, knowledge of indigenous peoples and local knowledge systems, integrating adaptation considerations into socioeconomic and environmental policies and practices.

The key vulnerabilities in The Bahamas are water resources, forests, human health, agriculture, human settlement, disaster management, energy, tourism and coastal zones.

What are the key vulnerabilities of The Bahamas?

: The Bahamas depends almost entirely on groundwater resources, which are extremely vulnerable, particularly in the low-lying limestone islands. This vulnerability is caused by several factors: overexploitation of the water lens; development of canals and waterways for boat access and to increase the value of lots; seawater inundation in low-lying limestone islands; and pollution of the water resources. Of all the threats to water resources identified and outlined above, the most significant is water table rises, which generally occur in the flatter low-lying areas.
: Temperature increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius C to 2.0 degrees Celsius is evident for all highly populated islands of The Bahamas. This will contribute to increases in vector-borne (e.g. dengue and malaria), water-borne and communicable diseases and increased costs associated with treating these diseases. Elevated temperatures with little rainfall can increase incidences of dengue fever that can put pressure on public health resources. Increased temperatures would also affect the lifestyle of an aging Bahamian population with increased incidences of respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
: The main challenge of human settlement and infrastructure development is the extensive areas of pine forests that have been cleared and developed for housing and agriculture. Clearance of pine forests will affect water sources and public services. For example, there is no freshwater flowing on the island of New Providence, thus the capital city Nassau relies heavily on reverse osmosis for its water supply. Increasing population, land and infrastructure development makes the preservation of the pine forests and well fields more difficult. As the population continues to increase, groundwater sources are now fully developed and no increased quantity from this source can be achieved easily in the near future.
: Agricultural production in The Bahamas focuses on four main areas: crops, poultry, livestock, and dairy. Climate change will exacerbate the problems associated with food production in The Bahamas, as it currently experiences a limited capacity to grow food. Thus, climate-related extremes such as storm surge and sea-level rise would result in loss of arable land which can limit the capacity to produce crops. The expected changes in mean annual temperature are unlikely to have a major impact on Bahamian agriculture until the latter part of the century. However, warming of the magnitude that has been projected, coupled with CO2 fertilization, may increase plant growth in the short term. Extreme high temperatures and an increase in global average temperature can damage food crops thus affecting food production and yield.
: Much of the coastline of The Bahamas, particularly in the built-up areas, are protected by seawalls. However, infrastructure and investment is under serious threat from climate change, sea level rise and extreme events like storm surge associated with hurricanes. Construction of harbour facilities is necessary for quickly getting supplies safely to the island after a hurricane or other storm event.
: The Bahamas is a key destination for the US dive market and this industry supports the jobs of a considerable number of divers. The tourism industry contributes significantly to the national economy and climate induced disasters such as hurricanes can considerably affect the GDP. Additionally, destinations that are frequently hit by hurricanes or severe weather events suffer from the perception in the market that they are unsafe.
: Presently, there is no information available on the potential impacts of climate change on Bahamian forests. It had been documented in other countries that the climatic variables directly influence plants and trees as a result of the increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. Research will have to be conducted to determine the physiological effects as well as the correlation of forest health, fires, storm surges, hurricanes impacts, sea-level rise and soil salinisation levels. With the expected increase in temperature coupled with CO2 fertilization effect may increase forest growth but this is likely to be compromised by the effects of intense hurricanes, which usually destroy large tracts of forests in The Bahamas.
: Impacts of climate change on biodiversity includes sea level rise, saltwater intrusion, coastal erosion, ocean acidification, and coral bleaching. The results of coral bleaching are far reaching. It reduces the ability of coral reefs to act as a natural defense system that will protect our beaches from storm surge and erosion. Beach erosion negatively affects the Tourism industry. Other impacts of climate change on biodiversity are droughts, floods, fires, storm surge, hurricanes, ENSO, vector and water-borne diseases and invasive species.
: Direct impacts are those that directly influence processes related to energy production and power generation, including transportation, energy resource availability (effects of weather on shipment of energy sources), electricity generation, and transmission and distribution systems. Erosion of the coast impacts the maintenance and safe handling of fuel. Hurricanes, droughts, floods, fires and storm surge also pose a serious threat to infrastructure of the energy sector.

Loss & Damage in The Bahamas

Damage is defined in the assessment as a monetary estimation of the value of the physical assets partially or totally destroyed in each sector while losses are a monetary estimation goods that go unproduced and services that go unprovided during a period running from the time the disaster occurs until full recovery and reconstruction.

As the climate crisis intensifies, impacts might exceed the capacity of human and natural systems to adapt, and thus lead to unavoidable and in some cases irreversible outcomes and can be monetizable (e.g., loss of income and physical assets particularly in hurricanes Irma (2017) and Dorian (2019)) or include noneconomic losses (NELs), such as loss of biodiversity, territory, cultural heritage, and those related to the emerging issue of climate-induced human mobility (e.g. hurricane Dorian).

Name of Hurricane	Active Dates	Category	Estimates of loss & damage (US$)
Joaquin	28 Sep - 15 Oct 2015	4	120+ Million
Matthew	28 Sep - 10 Oct 2016	4	600 Million
Irma	30 Aug - 13 Sep 2017	4	135 Million
Dorian	24 Aug - 8 Sep 2019	5	3.4 Billion

Sources: NOAA, 2021; Bahamas Department of Meteorology, 2016; IADB, 2019; MOEH, 2018

Additional Documentation

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Adaptation NDC Actions

Cross Sectorial

• Improve access to accurate weather and climate-related data and projections (including flood maps to inform land use planning) to develop a better understanding of the risks and consequences of climate change across sectors.

• Engage the community in the implementation of regular simulation evacuations.

• Develop and implement community-based climate change adaptation plans on most vulnerable islands.

• Develop contingency planning for essential systems (electricity, heating, cooling, ventilation, water supply, sanitation services, waste management and communications) to ensure that they will not be cut off during extreme weather events.

• Strengthening sensitive social and economic infrastructure across islands.

• Develop and implement a plan for integrated coastal zone management to promote a sustainable development of coastal zones.

• Build capacity among local communities for alternative livelihoods as a means of economic recovery/diversification to improve climate resilience.

Cross Sectorial

• Conduct a national study on sectoral vulnerability based on geographic data and indicators.

• Conduct a study on economics of climate change in The Bahamas with a cost benefit analysis of adaptation actions.

• Develop and implement a National Adaptation Plan covering priority sector.

• Review and update the National Policy for Adaptation to Climate Change.

• Promote the use of public and private partnerships to increase funding for adaptation actions.

• Leverage carbon markets to access adaptation funding.

Infrastructure

• Update and implement the Building Code so it considers the incorporation of the climate variable into infrastructure construction and reconstruction processes (including the promotion of nature-based solutions for low impact development).

Human Settlements

• Enhance land use planning across the country to ensure climate changerelated risks are appropriately addressed, including providing guidance on the location of coastal development.

Water Resources

• Explore new technological solutions for ensuring population’s access to drinking water (e.g., a pilot project for a rainwater harvesting plant, that connects the most vulnerable households to a drinking water supply system, or for it to be maintained as backup in the event of a natural disaster).

• Modelling extreme precipitation, sea-level rise and storm surge events, to develop a better understanding of the risks and consequences of these phenomena on water utility systems and availability of groundwater resources.

• Increase investments in desalination plants to ensure water availability, particularly on the islands with fewer freshwater resources (ex. New Providence) and promote on-site renewable power supplies (lowering costs of operation).

Health

• Raise awareness among vulnerable populations on climate change and climate-related health risks.

• Strengthen epidemiological surveillance systems and develop epidemic early warning systems informed by climate scenarios, to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

• Promote climate-smart clinics and health-related infrastructure.

Agriculture

• Provide farmers with relevant meteorological information regularly, as well as weather forecasts, with the aim to foster climate-sensitive farming.

• Promote climate-smart sustainable agriculture measures (optimization of water use/storage, soil conservation, etc.) and agroforestry practices (including diversification of crops and raising livestock simultaneously, using significantly less land).

• Investment in research on climate-resilient crops.

• Establishment of climate monitoring systems for farms.

Agriculture/Fisheries

• Assess climate change risk and impacts on the Agriculture/Fisheries sector (productivity and food security).

Forests/Biodiversity

• Establishment of payments for ecosystem services and other sustainable financing options to enhance protection of habitats for climate resilient communities (water purification, flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, etc.).

• Develop ecological and economic analysis to increase knowledge on the value of forest, mangrove, coral reef and sea grass ecosystems.

Forests

• Review and update existing forest management plans (such as the Master Plan for The Bahamas National Protected Area System).

Biodiversity

• Increase (marine and terrestrial) protected areas under effective management.

• Enhance protection and restoration of damaged/degraded ecosystems (e.g., terrestrial forests, mangroves, coral reefs).

• Promote Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) approaches to sustain ecosystems that ensure resilience against climate-related threats (ex. coral reef and mangrove) involving local communities.

Water Resources

• Protect freshwater lenses to avoid losing natural well-fields to other land use.

Energy

• Achieve a 30% of renewable energy mix on each major island by 2030.

• Awareness campaign for energy efficiency and energy conservation.

• Assessment of renewable energy potential across all occupied islands.

• Assessment of variations in energy demand derived from the effect of climate change.

• Improve financial incentives for citizens/businesses to convert to solar.

Transport

• Increase the percentage of electric vehicles to Government Fleet.

• Develop incentives to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles.

Infrastructure

• Adoption and implementation of revised building code for all new buildings and renovations.

• Include climate change considerations in the design of new energy infrastructure (establish requirements), as well as contingency plans to reduce long power outages.

Cross Sectorial

• Strengthen effective delivery of climate change contents in the national educational program including usefulness of relevant meteorological information.

• Promote public awareness of the possible effects of climate change and disseminate good adaptation practices, in alignment with the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE).

Biodiversity

• Increase awareness of the importance of coral reefs and mangrove forests for sustainable development and coastal protection.

Cross Sectorial

• Establish national standards for collecting geospatial data particularly for coral reefs, fisheries, forests, agriculture, health, public works, water resources and supply, economics, and climate change awareness.

• Improve tracking and data collection of renewable energy installations (both private and public) in order to ensure we have an accurate record of all renewable energy systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Climate change is the change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods (UNFCCC, 1992).

GHG are atmospheric gases that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range. They play a crucial role in the Earth's climate system by trapping heat and contributing to the greenhouse effect, which regulates the planet's temperature. While naturally occurring in the atmosphere, human activities have significantly increased the concentrations of these gases, leading to global warming and climate change.

The main gases are: Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Fluorinated Gases

GHG emissions inventories are systematic compilations of data on greenhouse gas emissions from various sources within a defined geographic area, such as a country, region, or city. These inventories include emissions from sectors such as energy, transportation, industry, agriculture, forestry, and waste management.

Due to its location in the Atlantic hurricane belt and like other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), The Bahamas is extremely vulnerable to the effects of disasters and climate change, as some 80 percent of the landmass is within 5 ft (1.5 m) of mean sea level and coastal areas hold the majority of the population and economic activity.

For that reason, it is paramount that The Bahamas undertakes major efforts to increase the resilience to the increasingly devastating effects of climate change and contributes to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Bahamas is undertaking major efforts to shelter against the effects of climate change and is implementing ambitious measures to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. In 2022, the country submitted its Updated Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, pledging a 30% reduction of emissions by 2030 and aiming for improving its resilience against the adverse effects of climate change.

Moreover, The Bahamas undertakes efforts across all sectors to enhance its response to climate change.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) are pledges countries make to the international community regarding its intended reduction of greenhouse gases and in some cases also its efforts to adapt to climate change. NDCs are communicated since 2015 under the Paris Agreement, and all signatory countries are required to enhance the ambition of their NDCs every five years.

The Bahamas in its Updated NDC from 2022 pledges a reduction of 30% GHG emissions through compared to the business-as-usual scenario in which no action is taken by 2030. It intends to do so by implementing ambitious reduction measures in its priority sectors: Energy, Industry, Transport, Forestry, Waste.

Climate change mitigation refers to actions taken to reduce or prevent the emission of GHGs into the atmosphere, as well as the improvement of carbon sinks aiming to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Mitigation efforts are essential for limiting global warming, stabilising the Earth's climate system, and minimising adverse effects on ecosystems, economies, and societies.

In The Bahamas, the NDC drives the implementation of 41 targeted actions in the priority emitting sectors.

Adaptation is defined, in human systems, as the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects, in order to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, adaptation is the process of adjustment to actual climate and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its effects”. (IPCC, 2022).

In The Bahamas, the NDC drives the implementation of 47 targeted actions in the priority adaptation sectors.

Loss and damage refers to the negative effects of climate change that occur despite mitigation and adaptation efforts. While mitigation addresses the causes of climate change (like reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and adaptation addresses its impacts (like building sea walls to prevent flooding), loss and damage is concerned with the unavoidable and irreversible impacts of the climate crisis.

Climate change impacts and risks are becoming more complex and difficult to manage. Scientific evidence suggests that loss and damage is unequally distributed and not comprehensively addressed by current adaptation and mitigation, particularly in vulnerable developing countries. Multiple climate hazards will occur simultaneously and interact, resulting in compounding risks across sectors and regions.

Climate finance refers to local, national, or transnational financing—drawn from public, private and alternative sources of financing—that seeks to support mitigation and adaptation actions that will address climate change.

Between 2010 and 2020, the Bahamas has received about 155 Million USD from international climate funds and development partners as well as from the private sector to implement climate change actions with 91% of the funding received for mitigation actions and about 9% for adaptation actions.