Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
Collective Intelligence for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
BIG BET
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our countries is that innovative solutions from within our communities to the challenges of climate change have not been sufficiently assessed or amplified to make a meaningful impact in the island of Tobago.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
The Caribbean islands are facing significant impacts from climate change, with rising sea levels, more frequent and intense storms, and increased temperatures. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that global temperatures will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming within the next 20 years, which Caribbean scientists consider as the point of catastrophic no-return for the region. These changes are leading to coastal erosion, loss of biodiversity, and damage to infrastructure, which are all having significant social, economic, and environmental impacts on the region. Urgent action is needed to develop and support a range of adaptation strategies specifically within the coastal environment that builds resilience to the impact of climate change. At present, the Lab is interested in understanding how communities have adapted, and how their adaptations can translate into impactful projects for the islands of Trinidad and Tobago but will give slightly more emphasis to Tobago based on the mandate of government on that island. The Accelerator Lab will divide its efforts into two areas: general solutions for a greener country and specific responses to the challenge of sargassum seaweed.
Specific to sargassum: One of the key negative elements that is a facet of climate change is the influx of sargassum seaweed on the region's beaches. Tobago since it is the more touristic island and is more rural and smaller is more strongly impacted by sargassum seaweed. A 2015 accumulation of sargassum seaweed was deemed an island-wide emergency which cost the island USD740M in clean-up activities over just a few days (approx. 2 weeks). Sargassum seaweed has negative impacts on human well-being, major sectors of Caribbean economies, and biodiversity (it presents a challenge to nesting leatherback turtles, transports invasive species and can result in hypopoxia of marine environments). The fisheries sector is also negatively impacted by the presence of large accumulations of sargassum at sea. While there have been no significant studies on the effect of sargassum on human health in Trinidad and Tobago, studies indicate significant impacts on human health through respiratory conditions, nausea, headaches, and dizziness. The challenge is significant. Nevertheless, many Caribbean sea countries, in particular Mexico, St. Lucia and Dominican Republic have been identifying benefits and opportunities in the commercialisation of sargassum downstream products.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Climate change within the region:
Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) - Office of the Prime Minister, and the UNDP Community Flood Early Warning System.
Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), Ministry of Planning and Development databases
Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC): The CCCCC is a regional organization that focuses on addressing climate change in the Caribbean. They provide data on climate trends, vulnerability assessments, and other related information.
Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA): The CDEMA provides information on disaster risk reduction and management in the Caribbean, including climate-related disasters.
Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Feedback from conversations with communities
Feedback from a sargassum steering committee.
Sargassum - Trinidad and Tobago Weather Center (ttweathercenter.com)
Sargassum: Untapped treasure trove for sustainable agriculture - Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
Sargassum Seaweed Overwhelms Tobago Beaches Once Again; What Is It And Where Does It Come From? - Cari-Bois Environmental News Network (caribois.org)
Anticipating sargassum season - Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
The Climate Mitigation and Adaptation portfolio is the largest Programme at the Country Office. Because the portfolio has been stretched and also restricted by donor requirements for large projects, the Country Office has not had the opportunity to interrogate innovative, creative, or community-based solutions to Climate Issues. Thus, the Lab is well poised to conduct experiments and research which will inform and guide the direction of the overall portfolio. Additionally, the Accelerator Lab pursued funds in collaboration with GEF SGP (the funds could only have been accessed by a collaborative effort) and was awarded USD150K for implementation of sargassum related projects in Trinidad and Tobago. Finally, the Chief Secretary, aware of the work of UNDP through the maiden activity of the Accelerator Lab in 2021 requested an innovation challenge focused on the needs of Tobago. The competitive challenge modality is unique to the Accelerator Lab.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
🚀🌴 Join us in tackling climate change in small island nations! The Accelerator Lab is on a mission to drive community involvement and social innovation. Let's share lessons and expand our innovation commons to create a sustainable future for all. 🌍🤝 #ClimateAction #InnovationForGood
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Tobago House of Assembly (THA) + GEF SGP
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Accelerator Lab and GEF SGP are partnering to host an innovation challenge in the island of Tobago, which has a population of ~60,000. The challenge will look for environmental, circular economy and peacebuilding projects for the benefit of Tobago. The Accelerator Lab contributed USD20K to a USD120K innovation challenge exclusive to Tobago. The remainder was contributed by GEF SGP. In preparation for the challenge, the Lab held a two-day workshop in Tobago on proposal writing, innovation and collaboration. The Tobago House of Assembly provided the venue and the outreach activity for the public. There was a separate workshop held for general strengthening of CSOs in Tobago.
Separately the Accelerator Lab and GEF SGP drafted a concept that was awarded an allocation of USD150,000, specifically for innovation around sargassum. While this challenge affects both Trinidad and Tobago, Tobago as the more touristic and smaller island is impacted more directly. For the sargassum challenge, the partnership with the Accelerator Lab will rely upon various stakeholders, including the Institute of Marine Affairs (Ministry of Planning and Development) as is key partner, followed by GEF SGP. Because of the GEF SGP involvement, funds will only be made available through CSOs/NGOs.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Tobago House of Assembly (and GEF SGP)
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
We have convened and assisting in forming a national sargassum steering committee, associated with a non-lab regional sargassum project. The government Institute of Marine Affairs is the Chair of the Committe and the Accelerator Lab co-chairs this committee and is infusing innovation into both the approach to dealing with the challenge of sargassum and crowding in support from the wider UN community (ie. UN GEF SGP and an early warning system under another project). The Lab cochairs and is integral to the running of the committee and all subsequent national plans for sargassum seaweed. The lab also manages the administrative support officer provided by the regional project. We successfully, along with GEF, mobilised funds up to USD150K for innovation in sargassum to be supported and upscaled, as needed, by the committee members.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA)
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The IMA will provide technical advice on solutions that relate to the blue economy particularly related to sargassum but not limited to this area.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
What can we learn about the ways that communities are adapting to climate change and environmental degradation?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Explore, Test, Grow
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Surveys in target communities to uncover new perspectives on the effects of climate change, as well as level of awareness and collective responses
Call for solutions from local innovators using the innovation challenge modality, and solution safari
Collaboration and partnership with the GEF Small Grants Programme to develop innovative experiments
Collective intelligence workshops to co-create solutions
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
There is no systemised data collection on sargassum influx, its effects and potential innovations in Trinidad and Tobago. we are effectively starting close to ground zero.
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
Our work here will be of immediate to the Ministry of Planning and Development and to a wide range of NGOs/CSOs. However, for the purpose of scale-up and given the governmental dynamics of Trinidad and Tobago, the THA will be the most likely partner to absorb our work and utilise it on the island of Tobago.
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Thank you!
13Climate action
14Life below water
15Life on land
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