Ryan Bachoo
Lead Editor - Newsgathering
ryan.bachoo@cnc3.co.tt
A new report by Climate Analytics Caribbean has highlighted the urgent need for regional leaders to develop systems for quantifying the non-economic loss and damage suffered by Caribbean states due to climate change.
The report—titled Loss and Damage Financing and Debt Sustainability in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS)—was authored by climate researchers Sasha Jattansingh and Dr Preeya Mohan. It examines how Caribbean countries are currently framing and reporting on loss and damage, while identifying research priorities for financing needs in the region.
According to the report, while economic losses such as damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and tourism are easier to measure, they are still often underreported. This is particularly true for indirect effects like business interruption and supply chain disruption, as well as activity costs such as emergency response and temporary housing.
In an interview with the Sunday Guardian, Dr Mohan, a Senior Fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies at the University of the West Indies, said the report underscores the need to consider non-economic loss and damage as part of recovery and funding efforts.
“Loss of culture, heritage, and skills because persons are unable to go to school, the mental health impacts from experiencing trauma—these are all non-economic costs that we should be quantifying as we seek funding after disasters,” she explained.
Mohan added that financial aid alone is not always the most effective form of recovery support.
“When disasters occur, the first instinct is to provide cash grants. But sometimes, in-kind or non-cash support is what’s most valuable—such as providing psychological counselling to help communities deal with trauma,” she said.
Longtime climate negotiator and expert Kishan Kumarsingh agreed that the Caribbean must develop a standardized approach to measuring loss and damage—particularly for slow-onset events that occur over years.
“What is required for vulnerable states like small islands is an internationally acceptable methodology for determining both sudden and slow-onset loss and damage,” Kumarsingh told the Sunday Guardian. “This must also include ways to quantify non-economic losses, since there are econometric approaches that can measure them.”
He noted that such systems will be critical for accurate national reporting and for accessing funds as the Loss and Damage Fund becomes operational.
Caricom Climate Envoy Dr James Fletcher echoed the call for a coordinated regional strategy. Speaking on CNC3’s The Big Interview last week, he said the Caribbean needs to define a “loss and damage programme of action” to clearly outline needs and guide preparedness, response, recovery, and reconstruction efforts.
Fletcher also urged greater inclusion of civil society in climate resilience planning.
“Our response has been too government-focused,” he said. “Civil society organisations are on the ground—they build resilience at the community level, and that’s where real resilience begins.”
Meanwhile, a new policy brief from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) has warned that shifting US policy could further constrain access to climate finance in the region.
The brief notes that Caribbean states have historically relied on international climate finance to support adaptation to rising temperatures, sea level rise, and extreme weather events. However, despite accessing roughly US$800 million from the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund, and Global Environment Facility combined, the region still falls far short of the US$14 billion per year the Caribbean Development Bank estimates is needed to strengthen resilience and support low-carbon transitions.
The CANARI report also points to a reduction in US emphasis on climate-related investments through the World Bank and IMF, as well as uncertainty caused by philanthropic organisations scaling back their international grant portfolios.
Regional experts warn that this overreliance on a few external donors exposes the Caribbean to long-term financial vulnerability. Proposed responses include debt reduction to create fiscal space, deeper regional cooperation, stronger government–civil society partnerships, and new financing relationships with emerging economies.
The debate around loss and damage comes as COP30 opens tomorrow in Belém, Brazil. With global temperatures now set to exceed 1.5°C, scientists warn that the world risks triggering irreversible tipping points such as ice sheet collapse and Amazon rainforest dieback.
Climate Analytics Caribbean Director Rueanna Haynes said the stakes could not be higher.
“With every increment of warming beyond 1.5°C, when adaptation limits are reached, extreme loss and damage will occur—representing a major tipping point,” she told the Sunday Guardian. “The longer we remain past the overshoot limit, the more severe the risks and irreversible damages to human life, ecosystems, and key sectors like tourism, fisheries, and agriculture.”
Haynes, who also serves as Head of Diplomacy at Climate Analytics, stressed that Caribbean leaders must push for non-debt-creating financing mechanisms grounded in data, equity, justice, and human rights.
“Our report builds on previous work and makes concrete proposals for how the region can approach this complex and increasingly urgent issue,” she said.
As disasters intensify with rising temperatures, the key question now is whether Caribbean governments can unite around a common framework for addressing loss and damage. The outcomes of COP30 may determine whether the region finally secures the financial and technical support it needs—or continues to struggle to make its case on the global stage.
