Antigua and Barbuda

This National Adaptation Plan (NAP) outlines Antigua and Barbuda's comprehensive strategy to address the escalating challenges posed by climate change, which as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), they are acutely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and increased temperatures.
This NAP aims to enhance resilience by identifying and prioritising adaptation actions across key sectors, including agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and housing, finance, wholesale and retail, as well as for cultural and historical resources.
Key strategies include:
<ul>
<li>Strengthening Early Warning Systems: Enhancing our capacity to predict and respond to extreme weather events through improved data collection, advanced forecasting models, and effective communication systems.</li>
<li>Investing in Climate-Smart Infrastructure: Developing and implementing resilient infrastructure, such as seawalls, coastal defenses, and climate-proof buildings, to minimize the impacts of sea-level rise and extreme weather events.</li>
<li>Promoting Sustainable Land Use Practices: Implementing sustainable land use planning strategies to protect critical ecosystems, such as mangroves and coral reefs, and reduce vulnerability to coastal erosion.</li>
<li>Diversifying the Economy: Promoting economic diversification to reduce reliance on climate-sensitive sectors and enhance economic resilience.</li>
<li>Building Human and Institutional Capacity: Strengthening the capacity of government agencies, communities, and individuals to plan for, adapt to, and respond to climate change.</li>
</ul>

This Plan considers the impacts of climate change and human activities as key factors behind the occurrence of desertification, and therefore devises a dynamic national DLDD response system which uses available indicators and modern technology as a means of prediction, vulnerability assessment, monitoring and impact assessment.
The intended climate-related outcomes include:
<ul>
<li>Outcome 1.1: Desertification/land degradation and drought issues and the synergies with climate change adaptation/mitigation and biodiversity conservation are effectively communicated among key constituencies at the international, national and local levels.</li>
<li>Outcome 1.2: Desertification/land degradation and drought issues are addressed in relevant international forums, including those pertaining to agricultural trade, climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, rural development, sustainable development and poverty reduction.</li>
<li>Outcome 2.5: Mutually reinforcing measures among desertification/land degradation action programmes and biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation are introduced or strengthened so as to enhance the impact of interventions.</li>
<li>Outcome 3.4: Knowledge of the interactions between climate change adaptation, drought mitigation and restoration of degraded land in affected areas is improved to develop tools to assist decision-making.</li>
<li>Outcome 5.4: Innovative sources of finance and financing mechanisms are identified to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought, including from the private sector, market-based mechanisms, trade, foundations and CSOs, and other financing mechanisms for climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use and for hunger and poverty reduction.</li>
</ul>

The National Energy Policy (NEP), released in 2011 by the government, aims at providing affordable, efficient, equitable, reliable and accessible forms of energy to Antiguans and Barbudans. Renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and measure are particularly promoted in order to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels. The Policy intends to foster the development of a legal, institutional and economic environment that enable such policy to happen. Specific goals set out by NEP are energy cost reduction, diversification and efficient use of energy sources, electric reliability, environmental protection, economic opportunities. 
 
The NEP covers the the power sector, but also cooking and transport. It seeks a more energy efficient and cleaner road fleet, and enhanced public transport. Tax systems to reduce greenhouse gases emission in the transport sector will be developed by the appropriate ministries. 
 
The NEP was updated in 2013 by the Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP). SEAP intends to serve as a roadmap for the energy future in Antigua and Barbuda from 2010 until 2030, and identify four kind of barriers to overcome: 1) institutional and regulatory barriers, 2) barriers harming energy conservation and energy efficiency targets, 3) barriers harming renewable energy development, and 4) countering low levels of awareness from the people and technical education.

The National Physical Development Plan (NPDP) stems from the Physical Planning Act of 2003. It is meant to provide a strategic, national spatial development framework that addresses current development issues, and provides a platform for feasible private and public sector development initiatives, reflecting local cultural values and aspirations over the next twenty years. The Sustainable Island Resource Management Zoning Plan (SIRMZP) of 2012 is itself designed to serve as a revised NPDP that meets the criteria of the Physical Planning Act.

The Physical Planning Act 2003 creates the legal basis for the National Physical Development Plan.

The Environmental Protection and Management Act of 2019 repeals the 2015 version. The Environmental Protection and Management Act of 2015 set up an institutional and administrative framework that codifies all decisions related to the national environment. It detailed the rights and duties of institutions responsible for dealing with offenses, protected areas, control and mitigation of pollution. It seeked to associate different kinds of non-governmental entities to its preventive and remedial decisions, and awareness-raising measures. The Act formulated a legal right for access to information related to the local environment in its various forms. The document charged the government to develop a National Environmental Policy Framework to implement specific objectives within the scope of the Act, and notably the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions. It further allowed the government to declare an area protected if the function of carbon sink is identified following the UNFCCC principles, and to monitor the given area.

The Renewable Energy Act of 2015 establishes legal, economic and institutional basis to promote the installation and use of renewable energy and corresponding electricity grid. Renewable sources considered are wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, geothermal and tidal. The Act plans that the Government will regularly set out middle and long-term renewable energy targets. The appropriate minister will work in accordance with public utilities and the responsible network utility to establish regulations promoting renewable energy and define eligibility for a Feed In Tariff scheme. 
 
The Act also establishes a Renewable Energy Fund to enable its objectives, and finance it via the National Development Fund. Projects that will receive subsidies will have to be approved by the Cabinet, and include research and development programmes. General incentives are further set out to decrease the installation and operative costs.

This Act aims to provide for the effective organisation of the preparedness, management, mitigation of, response to and recovery from emergencies and disasters from natural and man-made origins in the country. It creates the National Disaster Preparedness and Response Advisory Committee and mandates the appointment of a Director of Disaster Preparedness and Response. It defines a series of measures in relation with disaster preparedness and management. This Act and the Emergency Powers Act (1967) and the Emergency Powers (Hurricane, Earthquake, Fire or Flood) Act (1957) should be considered together.

This Act grants the power to the Cabinet to declare by Proclamation in the Gazette a state of emergency in case of occurrence in Antigua and Barbuda of a hurricane, earthquake, fire or flood and grants extraordinary powers of legislation in such circumstances. The Cabinet may, among other things, by order, provide for the regulation or requisitioning of food and water and for the requisitioning of or entry upon private land. This Act should be considered jointly with the Emergency Powers Act (1967) and the Disaster Management Act (2002).

Antigua and Barbuda National Communication. NC4

Antigua and Barbuda's Adaptation communication, Adaptation Communication from Antigua and Barbuda in 2022

Antigua and Barbuda. Biennial update report (BUR). BUR 1., Biennial Update Report from Antigua and Barbuda in 2020

Antigua and Barbuda First NDC (Archived), Nationally Determined Contribution from Antigua and Barbuda in 2016

Prepared under UNDP Project ANT/97/GC2/99, Climate Change Project:
Antigua and Barbuda’s Initial National Communications to the UNFCCC including chapter 4 on Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation. Other chapters include: National Circumstances; National Greenhouse Gases Inventory; Mitigation Assessment; General Description of Steps Taken; Financial and Technological Needs and Constraints.

Improve energy efficiency in government and public facilities, industrial plants and other large users by 30% by 2026 against a 2011 baseline

Overall energy intensity at least 10% below 2010 baseline by 2021

Government reducing energy consumption and costs by 30% by 2021 compared with 2011 baseline

Share of renewable energy to be al least: 5% by 2015, 10% by 2020 and 15% by 2030

Improve energy efficiency in the transport sector by 40% through economic incentives to fast track the migration of public and private fossil powered vehicles to low carbon technologies  by 2026 compared with 2011 baseline

Antigua and Barbuda

Documents

Targets (5)