National climate change adaptation policy

The Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology adopted in 2015 the National Climate Change Adaptation Policy. It is a revised version of the 2003 Policy and Adaptation Plan. The aim of the document is to foster a national process to address the short, medium and long term effects of climate change in a coordinated manner to ensure the greatest possible quality of life to Saint Lucians.

The Policy institutes a framework to guide the legislative and policy work on sustainable development of governmental and non-governmental entities involved in Saint Lucia. It acknowledges the potentially profound impacts of climate change on the country, and the need to establish adaptation actions in the development processes of key sectors. The Climate Adaptation Financing Facility from the Saint Lucia Development Bank is defined as a prominent financing tool for such efforts. Concrete adaptation actions to enhance the island's resilience include building stronger buildings, roads and bridges. A specific Action Plan for the tourism sector was published in 2015. The government shall also support capacity and awareness building activities to enable mitigation pathways, and provide the necessary mechanisms and economic instruments for adaptation.