A Blue Path for the Caribbean: Ocean Sustainability for Prosperity and Resilience

Assessment of the effects and impacts of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas

In September 2019 , the world watched as the category 5 Hurricane Dorian rained havoc down on The Bahamas islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco and their communities, erasing any evidence of life in some neighborhoods and leaving behind a trail of heartbreak, sorrow and death. The catastrophic damage to livelihoods and billions of dollars of infrastructure on this archipelago present significant challenges to the preparedness of its tourism -dependent economy and its rescue and recovery capacity. The Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) committed itself to a restoration effort that would be far -r…

Assessment of the effects and impacts of the Hurricane Matthew: the Bahamas

The passage of Hurricane Matthew through The Bahamas in October 2016 marks the second time in just over a year that the country was affected by a Category 4 hurricane. However, unlike 2015’s Hurricane Joaquin, which affected islands having a relatively low population, Hurricane Matthew’s greatest impact was felt on the country’s population centres of New Providence and Grand Bahama, as well as in the district of North Andros. Damage in these areas was caused by high winds and storm surge associated with the hurricane, and was exacerbated by construction practices and the siting of communities …

Assessment of the effects and impacts caused by Hurricane Irma: the Bahamas 2017

Hurricane Irma was the ninth named hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Being an Archipelago in the Caribbean, a great portion of The Bahamas infrastructure is in proximity to the coast, making it particularly vulnerable to tropical storms. Irma directly and primarily affected the southern islands of Inagua, Acklins, Ragged Island and Southern Andros, and affected Bimini and Grand Bahama to the north, while it also caused moderate effects across the country. The effects of hurricane Irma on the population of The Bahamas were moderate. According to the reports prepared by the govern…

Performance indicators associated with low-carbon energy technologies in Brazil: Evidence for an energy big push

Today, Brazil and many countries around the world are seeking to stimulate economic recovery and improve people’s quality of life. In this context, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) of the United Nations has been developing the Big Push for Sustainability, a renewed approach to support the efforts of the countries of the region to design more sustainable development models, by coordinating policies to promote investments that will transform existing models. The ECLAC office in Brasilia and the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE), in conjunction …

Incentive mechanisms for clean energy innovation in Brazil: Paths for an energy big push

Today, Brazil and many countries around the world are seeking to stimulate economic recovery and improve people’s quality of life. In this context, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) of the United Nations has been developing the Big Push for Sustainability, a renewed approach to support the efforts of the countries of the region to design more sustainable development models, by coordinating policies to promote investments that will transform existing models. The ECLAC office in Brasilia and the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE), in conjunction …

The Hummingbird Vol.7 No.8

Policy Brief: Planning for resilience: an integrated approach to tackle climate change in the Caribbean

The Caribbean subregion is exceptionally vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. Vulnerability is a key multidimensional concept at the heart of resilience building, relating to each country’s multiple spatial and socioeconomic risks and conditions. In fact, due to its geographical location and concentration of population and activities in low-lying coastal areas, the Caribbean is the second most hazard-prone region in the world...Moreover, impacts of extreme weather events on Caribbean small economies are of national proportions. For example, in the hurricane s…

The Hummingbird Vol.7 No.7

The climate emergency in Latin America and the Caribbean: The path ahead – resignation or action?

This book presents the results of more than a decade of work carried out by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on the economics of climate change. It analyses the conclusive global data and the impact of climate change in the region, examining sectors such as agriculture, health, transport and energy. In particular, it addresses the effects of climate change on the two most vulnerable subregions, Central America and the Caribbean, and gives an account of the agreements reached in the region to tackle the problem of global warming. The book discusses the advance…

The Hummingbird Vol.7 No.6

Advancing the Decade of Action for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean

The Hummingbird Vol.7 No.5

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the new global and regional context: Scenarios and projections in the current crisis

The world is facing a humanitarian and health crisis without precedent in the last century. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has battered economies already weakened by slow growth and mounting inequality. As uncertainty grows over the extent of the pandemic, economies and societies are shutting down and coming to a standstill. The short- and even medium-term impacts may be devastating. The region of Latin America and the Caribbean faces this crisis from a situation of economic growth that is insufficient to reduce poverty and increase employment at the pace needed by its societies. …

The Hummingbird Vol.7 No.4

Annotated Provisional agenda. Fourth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development

Provisional agenda. Fourth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development

The Hummingbird Vol.7 No.3

The Hummingbird Vol.7 No.2

Proposal for a revitalized Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee - Regional Coordinating Mechanism for Sustainable Development (CDCC-RCM): Repositioning CDCC-RCM as the mechanism for sustainable development in Caribbean small island developin...

The Small Island Developing States (SIDS) agenda for sustainable development has as its foundation the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA 1994), the Mauritius Strategy for Further Implementation of the BPoA (MSI 2005) and more recently the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA Pathway 2014). These agreements representing 25 years of continual focus are the SIDS sustainable development blue prints. With the objectives of positioning and maintaining a strategic SIDS focus across sustainable development agendas, this paper re-examines the Regional Coordinating Mechanism of the Caribbean De…