Author: Adapting to Climate Change in the Caribbean (ACCC) Project, Caribbean Community Secretariat, Canadian International Development Agency
Year of publication: 2003
Available languages: English
Type of assessment: Comprehensive impact and risk assessment
Format of assessment: Guideline
Estimated costs for conducting: No information
Estimated duration of assessment: At least 6 months
To be carried out by whom: Multiple actors
Details: Large stakeholder involvement including experts from different fields
Institutional scale of use: Continental
Details: Depends on the institutional scale of the organization implementing the adaptation measures
Assesment to be used by which target audience: Multiple actors
Details: Either public decision makers or civil society organizations
Output: Excel sheet
Details: Implementation plan
Region of origin: Latin America, North America
Developed by which sector: Development cooperation
Applied in practice: Yes
Geographic coverage in analysis: Caribbean Islands
Potential geographic coverage: Worldwide
Sectors covered: Biodiversity, Financial sector, Health sector, Water sector
Details: Studies carried out by the CPACC and ACCC projects in the Caribbean region reveal that countries are very vulnerable to climate change impacts. Specifically, the following sectors were considered to be at risk: human settlements, tourism, agriculture and food security, water, health, banking/insurance, infrastructure, coastal, marine and terrestrial ecosystems
Method used: Scenario mapping
Description of methodology: The risk assessment proposed in this methodology is part of a wider risk management approach and consists of these steps: analysing the hazard, estimating the risk and evaluating the risk. The first step involves establishing a baseline, a stakeholder database and analysis, and possible risk scenarios. The second step aims to check the data quality, assign appropriate levels of probability, frequency and severity, risk levels and evaluate stakeholder perceptions. In the last step revising the evaluation criteria and ranking the risk according to the acceptance and adaptive response is proposed
Risk framework used: No explicit use of risk framework
Details: AR3, but then use of probability and severity in order to estimate risks
Risk components incorporated: All
Hazards and impacts considered in the assessment: Changing precipitation patterns, Cyclone (including tropical storm, hurricane and typhoon), Extreme rainfall, Flood, Sea level rise, Storm surge
Details: High level of stakeholder involvement which bring along their expert knowledge and judgement
Participatory elements: Yes
Details: Key stakeholders should be identified and involved during the entire process. However, the stakeholder composition may be modified at various stages throughout the process as appropriate to the situation being addressed. Local communities often possess valuable knowledge which should inform the decision-making process. As such, local participation should be ensured
Consideration of interconnectedness and -dependencies of risks: No information
Adressing uncertainty: Yes
Details: Consider uncertainty in the estimation of probability and severity of climate impacts, application of low case and high case scenarios, uncertainty due to a long lead time between the action taken and the realisation of the benefits
Scope of assessment: Identification of risks, assessment of impacts, identification of adaptation options, priorization of adaptation options, identification of limits to adaptation
Economic/Non-Economic losses incorporated: Both
Applicability for entire risk spectrum (from extreme weather events to slow onset processes): Yes
Recommendations for Adaptation measures included in Climate Risk Assessment: Yes
Details: Adaptation options are identified, prioritized and limits of adaptation and ways to handle residual risks discussed
Open access: Yes