OECS Supports Climate Resilient Decision Making

Key OECS Commission Officers are now trained in the use of the Caribbean Climate Online Risk and Adaptation Tool (CCORAL), an online support system for climate resilient decision making uniquely developed for use in the Caribbean by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).

CCORAL seeks to help decision makers plan with a ‘climate’ or ‘climate change’ focus and thereby identify actions that minimise climate related loss, take advantage of opportunities and build climate resilient development in their countries.

The online application is designed to engender a risk management ethos in decision making through a pragmatic approach: promoting the right tools and techniques to fit the context of Caribbean decision making, paired with available time and resources, and the uncertainty of climate variability and change. 

The five day training course, held in Castries, St. Lucia from July 3-7, 2017, was implemented by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the United States Agency for International Development/ Eastern and Southern Caribbean (USAID/ESC) under the USAID Climate Change Adaptation Program (USAID CCAP).

Specific objectives of the training programme were:

• an overview of Climate Variability/Climate Change and impacts in the region;
• the regional approach to resilience building;
• learning how to use CCORAL;
• applying CCORAL through a nationally relevant case study; and
• sharing lessons in the application of CCORAL.

OECS Commission Officers trained in the Caribbean Climate Online Risk and Adaptation Tool are now able to provide assistance to OECS Member States in its application and influence its adoption in day-to-day decision-making processes and activities.

The USAID CCAP being implemented by the CCCCC commits US$25.6 million over four (4) years to boost climate resilient development and reduce climate change induced risks to human and natural assets in ten (10) countries.

Beneficiary countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname.