The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is a pioneer in disaster assessment in the region and developed a methodology called DaLA to assess the damages and losses caused by disasters. Find out in this infographic what it is, how it works and what it is for countries.…
A Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe (CEPAL) é pioneira na avaliação de desastres.…
In Caribbean small island developing States (SIDS), electrical power outages are frequent in the aftermath of major weather events. While local service disruptions often last a few days after these events, nationwide power grid failures lasting several weeks, or months have resulted in enormous social and economic impacts. In 2017, Hurricane Maria left 90 per cent of the population of Dominica without access to electricity for over four months (Commonwealth of Dominica, 2020) and caused a systemwide collapse of Puerto Rico's power grid that took 11 months to be entirely restored (Campbell…
Although the notion of a circular economy (CE) has been conceived and debated for more than half a century (Henrysson and Nuur, 2021), it has gained considerable popularity in the lexicon of economists, ecologists and other development thinkers over the past two decades. The increasing evidence of the existential threat of human-induced climate change and the related imperatives of decarbonizing the global economy, have led to greater focus on strategies for a more sustainable use of the natural and environmental resource base.…
This brief is intended to provide general information on the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference on scaling up ocean actions based on science and innovation for the implementation of Agenda 2030 - Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14), with a view to stimulating more active, engaged participation of the Caribbean in the discussions. The United Nations Ocean Conference will be co-chaired by Kenya and Portugal, and hosted by the Government of Portugal in Lisbon, during 2021. The objective of this conference is consistent with the 2017 UN General Assembly proclamation on the Decade of Oce…
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 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic affects the activities of the food system (food production, processing, distribution, marketing and consumption) and its outcomes —particularly food security and social well-being. The United Nations Secretary-General has drawn attention to the need for an immediate response to avoid a food crisis. This report, co-edited by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), offers policy recommendations for sustaining demand and administering the food trade during…
Caribbean countries face vulnerabilities that include high exposure to the devastating impact of climate change and natural disasters. At the same time, heavy indebtedness and serious structural and fiscal constraints limit their ability to make adequate investments in climate change adaptation and risk mitigation. As a result, the subregion anticipates with great anxiety the advent of the hurricane season every year which threatens the long-term environmental, economic and social development of Caribbean countries, further compounding their high levels of public debt, limited capacity t…
Los países caribeños enfrentan vulnerabilidades que incluyen la alta exposición al impacto devastador del cambio climático y de desastres naturales. Al mismo tiempo, su alto nivel de endeudamiento y graves nudos estructurales y fiscales limitan su capacidad de invertir de manera adecuada en la adaptación al cambio climático y la mitigación de riesgos. Por ende, todos los años la subregión espera con gran ansiedad el comienzo de la temporada de huracanes que amenaza el desarrollo ambiental, económico y social de largo plazo de los países caribeños y exacerba aún más sus altos niveles de deuda p…
Os países caribenhos enfrentam vulnerabilidades que incluem a alta exposição ao impacto devastador da mudança climática e de desastres naturais. Ao mesmo tempo, seu alto nível de endividamento e graves problemas estruturais e fiscais limitam sua capacidade de investir de maneira adequada na adaptação à mudança climática e mitigação de riscos. Assim, todos os anos a sub-região espera com grande ansiedade o começo da temporada de furacões que ameaça o desenvolvimento ambiental, econômico e social de longo prazo dos países caribenhos e exacerba ainda mais seus altos níveis de dívida pública, sua …
The impacts of COVID-19 are growing daily. The pandemic has triggered not only a health crisis, but also an economic one. Its consequences and duration are still unknown, but we know that its impact on poverty rates and food security has no recent precedent. In such a scenario – in which achieving economic, social and environmental sustainability is increasingly indispensable for the planet – the agrifood system needs urgent and innovative solutions. In this respect, digitalization is a recommendable path to follow. Digitization has become a key driver for rural transformation, creating new op…
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