CCORAL being rolled out in T&T
Trinidad Express - CCORAL being rolled out in T&T - Trinidad Express (newsmemory.com)
■ Alicia Boucher
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO is in the process of rolling out the Caribbean Climate Online Risk and Adaptation tooL (CCORAL), which is designed to enable countries to make better decisions in keeping with climate change adaptation.
It comes as Small Island Developing States continue to suffer the negative and sometimes catastrophic effects of climate change, including floods and more intense dry seasons and storms. Authorities continue to stress the importance of not only mitigation, but also adaptation. As such, CCORAL, which falls under the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), is a mechanism this country now has in its possession for implementing adaptation measures.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a high-level session with senior Government officials to demonstrate the application of CCORAL, at the Radisson Hotel, Port of Spain, last Thursday, head of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit at the Ministry of Planning and Development Kishan Kumarsingh revealed that 28 people across different sectors were trained by CCCCC to use CCORAL. He stated that no sector is immune to the effects of climate change.
'So we hope that this training, which has also included a 'train the trainers' aspect, can now be imparted within ministries, divisions, agencies, local government bodies, for example, so that they can now take the tool, use it and really mainstream it into their operations, in their strategic plans and into their budgetary process as well; so they can understand what it takes through using this tool, to assess risks, climate risks in particular, and as a result build resiliency over time,' Kumarsingh said.
Responding effectively
Meanwhile, Minister of Planning and Development Pennelope Beckles indicated that natural disasters can adversely impact lives and the economy through disruption to vital sectors such as agriculture, tourism and energy, as well as the destruction of infrastructure.
'CCORAL offers a wealth of resource and tools. These include data sets, models, guidelines and best practices can be tailored to the unique needs of Trinidad and Tobago. This tool box equips us with the means to respond effectively to climate change challenges, ensuring that our decisions are backed by science and experience,' Beckles said.
Financing for the training was provided by the European Union Global Climate Change Alliance (EU-GCCA+) and CARIFORUM Programme. Funding for the session in T&T was facilitated through the Green Climate Fund. From time to time, the CCCCC also receives support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
How does CCORAL work?
In summary, the online application CCORAL contains four steps: The first is a ten-question quick screening which determines if the plan or project is at high, medium or low priority.
The second stage guides preparation of the task to be undertaken while providing research tools specific to the country where it is being applied.
The third step is the analysis, negotiation and approval process, which would outline the feasibility of the programme or project.
The fourth and final step is the implementa tion, monitoring and evaluation phase.
CCORAL and formal adoption
Head of the Project Development and Management Unit at the CCCCC Keith Nichols highlighted that since CCORAL was introduced a decade ago, several Caribbean countries have received training, while St Kitts and Nevis, and Grenada, formally adopted the disaster risk-management tool. He is hoping that country takes a similar action.
However, the Ministry of Planning and Development indicated that, in the absence of formal adoption, CCORAL can still be used across agencies, which is being encouraged. It is also calling on those who have been trained to train others.
EMPOWERING NATIONS: Head of the Project Development and Management Unit at the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre Keith Nichols, left, Minister of Planning and Development Pennelope Beckles and head of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit at the Ministry of Planning and Development Kishan Kumarsingh.
