GERICS workshop in Guadeloupe

Workshop on Coastal Climate and Earth Observational Services for Small Island States

The workshop on Coastal Climate and Earth Observational Services for Small Island States was held from 13-15 November 2019 in Guadeloupe and was organized by GERICS as part of the INNOVA project. It brought together participants from the local level (Guadeloupe and Martinique), regional level (Caribbean) and other Small Island States (SIDS) (Western Indian Ocean and the Pacific). The workshop was designed to offer an opportunity for the Small Island States to voice their coastal climate and observational services needs and to identify current gaps in the provision of such services.

Participatory modelling exercise Foto: GERICS/Gundula Winter

After an opening of a deputy of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe pointing out the major challenges Caribbean islands are facing in times of climate change, plenary presentations followed specifying water related challenges as well as coastal planning and adaptation issues. Throughout a participatory modelling exercise, the participants identified priority sectors, key actors and key requirements for coastal climate and earth observational services.

On the second day, data services across different time scales (seasonal and climate) and regions (terrestrial and marine) were presented. Examples were provided on how the data can be accessed through the various services and where they can be found. Further presentations about climate change modelling for Small Island States pointed out the need for downscaling to represent islands appropriately in the model.

The third day started with a panel discussion focusing on how to incorporate climate services into decision-making. This was followed by group discussions to develop a policy statement on the needs for data and information to support the development of coastal climate and observational services for adaptation of communities on small islands states, as well as future directions in establishing a network.

Workshop participants Foto: GERICS/Lena Rölfer