World Oceans Day: how one island state is gearing up to be a climate world-first

Our oceans represent the single largest carbon sink on Earth. Collectively, these “blue lungs” have absorbed 91% of the heat from escalating greenhouse gas emissions, shielding us from the brunt of global warming. But their capacity is not endless. As climate change accelerates, we face a cascade of disastrous marine effects: ice caps melting, sea-levels rising, ocean currents changing course, and severe storms intensifying.  

This can be catastrophic for coastal communities, as the people of Dominica know first-hand. In 2017, the Caribbean island nation was hit by a category-5 storm. In the space of a few hours, Hurricane Maria caused more than $1.3 billion in damage, knocking out the electricity grid, washing away roads, and erasing 200% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

With 90% of Dominica’s population living in coastal areas, it was, says Minister of Environment Cozier Frederick, an almost hopeless situation. “I think it will be forever etched in our memories.”

But instead of giving up, the island nation came together to attempt something audacious: to become the world’s first climate resilient country. And the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), in partnership with the World Bank, has been helping to power this change.  

_{Climate resilience fresco in Mero, Dominica}

Saving Lives

Like other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Dominica’s very existence is threatened by both rising sea-levels and extreme weather events. The heat sequestered by our oceans fuels hurricanes, while higher sea-levels can push more water inland during hurricane-related storm surges. CIF has a long history of working with SIDS, all around the developing world: in the Caribbean; in the Pacific, with Samoa and others; and in the Indian Ocean notably the Maldives; providing urgent injections of concessional finance to enable highly vulnerable countries to adapt to climate change.  

One of the keystones of Dominica’s multi-year Disaster Vulnerability Reduction project, implemented by the World Bank, was building a stormproof Meteorological Office, with its own broadcast studio and operations room. For climatological specialist Annie Carette Joseph, the move to a dedicated premises has been transformative: “more mobility, more space, more freedom to really work.” During Hurricane Maria, the old offices “started falling apart,” she says, terrifying staff inside. Now, “we can sit in here at night and not have to worry about, you know, your roof collapsing or your door being blown away… and perform the function which we are here to do, which is to help save lives.”

_{Farah Rocque, instrument technician, checks the meteorological station in Jimmit, Dominica}

A new lifeline during disasters 

In addition to the new Met Office, plus a set of climate-resilient roads designed to withstand even severe flooding and a nursery to supply plants for reforestation initiatives, the project also built eight water tanks to serve the west coast of the island.  

“Storage is very important for a water system,” explains Magnus Barny Williams, Chief Engineer at the Dominica Water and Sewage Company. The hurricanes his country is prone to often damage pipelines and intake systems, cutting off the water supply to whole communities. The new high-capacity tanks can provide a lifeline for connected households. In Morne Rachette, for example, a leaking 15,000-gallon tank was replaced with one triple the size, and areas previously without any storage now have a reservoir. The upgrade also ensures enough water pressure for effective firefighting during disasters and helps to keep the many farms in the area functioning through periods of drought.

_{The village of Morne Rachette, Dominica, seen from a newly built water tank made possible by CIF funding}

When two further storms, Hurricane Felipe and Tropical Storm Tammy, struck the island in 2023 and damaged parts of the water system, the new storage proved its worth. “We were able to continue providing supply to the community,” says Magnus proudly.  

A model for the world? 

Alongside physical infrastructure, the project also funded essential training within government agencies such as the Office of Disaster Management. Minister Cozier Frederick has appreciated this exchange of ideas and support from outside Dominica. He believes that when planning how to respond to major weather events, “there has to be massive collaborations with outside partners, international partners.”  

_{Cozier Frederick Dominica's Minister of Environment, Rural Modernization, Kalinago Upliftment and Constituency Empowerement speaks at a CIF event in Portsmouth, Dominica, in April 2024}

And the learning runs both ways. As his country’s early actions generate valuable lessons about effective resilience measures, he says, “we can share that with humanity.”

Dominica’s climate-resilient investments were supported by a $440 million regional initiative for SIDS in the Caribbean region, under CIF’s Pilot Program for Climate Resilience.