The Caribbean Climate Online Risk and Adaptation TooL (CCORAL), is a web-based tool designed to help decision-makers in the Caribbean integrate climate resilience into their decision-making and planning processes.

CCORAL was developed by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), with support from CDKN, based on a thorough consultation process involving significant inputs from across the region. Critical inputs have been provided by Government Ministries in the four CCORAL pilot countries – Barbados, Belize, Jamaica and Suriname, non-governmental and civil society organisations, business and financial services sectors, universities and research institutions and development partners. The new online support tool is an important step towards increasing the climate resilience of the region.

Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said of CCORAL “The development of the... tool [is] an extremely important asset in assessing the risk from the impacts of climate change in the Caribbean region. I would like to compliment the CCCCC for having taken this initiative”.

For decision-makers in the Caribbean, the impacts of climate change are all too apparent. In recent years the region has suffered at the hands of climate-related extreme weather events such as hurricanes and flooding and other climate-driven changes such as sea level rise and ocean warming. From infrastructure projects to town planning, from fisheries management to tourism development, the question of how to continue to prosper in the face of climate change is a primary concern for policy-makers in the region. Integrating considerations of climate risk into the decision-making processes for legislators, planners, policy makers and project leaders is a considerable challenge. With the launch of CCORAL, the region has taken a significant step towards enabling decision-makers to understand climate risks to current and planned activities and take action to increase their resilience. Specific guidance is provided on how to address climate impacts in the context of legislation, national planning, strategy, policy, programmes, projects, and budgets.

CCORAL is an online, open-source tool that can be accessed here. It guides users through several steps, helping them to quickly identify whether their activity is likely to be influenced by climate change and if it is a priority for further investigation, understanding the climate influence at each stage of their activity, and taking action to increase climate resilience.

Key components of CCORAL

CCORAL is unique in that is has been designed for users of all skill levels, with different resources provided depending on user needs and experience (e.g. non-climate expert/climate expert). It is resolutely pragmatic in its approach, promoting the right tools and techniques to fit the context of Caribbean decision-making, available time and resources and uncertainty about climate variability and change. Importantly, by using CCORAL, decision-makers will also be able to demonstrate to funders, investors and development partners that climate resilience has been considered and integrated into relevant activities.

It is intended that using CCORAL will promote discussion of climate risk management amongst decision-makers and will lead to greater collaboration between experts and non-experts leading to decisions that are robust in the face of climate change. The CCCCC and its partners are now preparing extensive training and rollout of CCORAL across the region.

CCORAL comes as part of a continued effort by CARICOM Heads of Government to strengthen climate adaptation. Last year they approved the 2011-2021 Implementation Plan (IP) to operationalise the Regional Framework for Achieving Development Resilient to Climate Change. The IP was designed by the CCCCC with funding from CDKN and DFID Caribbean. One priority challenge identified in the IP was the need to develop a risk management ethic in decision making in the Caribbean, ensuring the use of risk management processes and tools, management of uncertainties and integration of climate change into national development planning and decision making. CCORAL has been developed in response to this need.

For a full copy of the Implementation Plan click here.

For the executive summary click here.

To download a copy of the CCORAL infographic please click here.

To download a copy of the CCORAL factsheet please click here.

To view the Caribbean Climate Online Risk and Adaptation Tool (CCORAL) please click here.

Watch the CCORAL promo video here.

Location: Barbados, Belize, Jamaica and Suriname