Migration, Environment, Disaster and Climate Change Data in the Eastern Caribbean:Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Country Analysis

Climate change projections predict that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will be negatively affected by the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, as well as by gradual processes such as sea level rise. With climate scenarios pointing to a higher incidence of such events in the near future, (forced) population movements are likely to increase in number and severity in the country. According to statistics developed by UNDRR-DesInventar, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines witnessed a total of 279 disasters and related emergencies between 1718 and 2014, directly affecting 59,000 people. Although the national Government has instituted distinct policy and legal frameworks to enhance migration, climate change and disaster governance nationwide, there is little acknowledgment and there are no comprehensive provisions to address human mobility in the context of climate and environmental change and disasters. Of the eight policies and legislations related to migration, environment, climate change and disasters that were identified in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, only two have made some references to the topic of human mobility. The Initial national communication on climate change alludes to the displacement of entire communities due to the potential impacts of sea level rise on infrastructure and population concentrated along the low-lying areas. And the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) calls for the relocation of vulnerable communities from disaster-prone coastal areas to safer locations. On the premise that good policy and planning needs timely and reliable data, and with the goal of enhancing policy and planning, this study assesses the national data systems on migration, environment, disaster and climate change in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines