Building a more Resilient and Low-Carbon Caribbean: Report 4: Infrastructure Resilience in the Caribbean through Nature Based Solutions

The Caribbean islands are among the 25 most-vulnerable nations in terms of disasters per-capita or land area, and climate change is only expected to intensify these vulnerabilities. The loss caused by climate events drags the ability of the Caribbean countries to invest in infrastructure and social programs, contributing to slower productivity growth, poorer health outcomes, and lower standards of living. Within this context, building resiliency should become a priority for the Caribbean countries. The series “Building a more resilient and low-carbon Caribbean”, focuses on improving the resiliency, sustainability and decarbonization of the construction industry in the Caribbean. The results show that increasing building resiliency is economically viable for the high-risk islands of the Caribbean, generating long term savings and increasing the infrastructure preparedness to the impacts of CC. The first three reports of the series analyze the economic losses caused by climate related events, the benefits of improving building resiliency to reduce those economic losses and the benefits of subsidized financing for resilient buildings in the Caribbean. The results show that increasing building resiliency is economically viable for the high-risk islands of the Caribbean, generating long term savings and increasing the infrastructure preparedness to the impacts of CC. This report Report 4: Infrastructure Resilience in the Caribbean through Nature Based Solutions - extends the previous analysis to examine the potential role for nature-based solutions (NBSs) in the region. The report first defines NBSs in the context of the Caribbean construction industry. It then considers specific NBS options that could be viable in the region. Next, the report reviews the status of NBS related projects in the Caribbean, including efforts supported by the IDB. This analysis also identifies several barriers to the development of NBSs in the region. Finally, the report suggests measures that can be taken to address these barriers and increase the use of NBSs in the Caribbean.