Written by Valentines Residences Resort and Marina

Last year’s devastating hurricane season made one thing perfectly clear: the Caribbean, a region that contributes very little to the negative effects of climate change, is also one of the most vulnerable. Global warming is a very real threat, leaving islands throughout the Caribbean with a great deal to lose with every passing storm. Because of this, the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) is implementing a technical cooperation project on an initiative that aims to support transforming the Caribbean into the world’s first “Climate-Smart Zone,” potentially benefiting more than 3.2 million households throughout the region.

The objective of the “Caribbean Smart Islands Program” is to identify and pilot ways of transitioning to a low carbon and climate resilient development pathway, and has selected the islands of Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago), Caye Caulker (Belize), and Harbour Island (The Bahamas) as pilots, with the ultimate goal of implementing the identified mitigation and adaptation strategies throughout every island in the Caribbean within the next few years.