Data is a tool for change. It is temperature data that shows beyond doubt the undeniable reality of a warming world, and mortality data that shows the terrible price being paid. Reliable forecasting depends on a good data management system in every country. Even where the data exists, inertia can mean it is not used and even where converted into information but ignored, puts at risk the lives of many from the increasing threats of extreme weather events.
Good data management systems are a key tool in helping countries to build resilience and ultimately protect their populations from the changing climate. The question is how much of our climate data today is being used to inform the resilience-building actions and not just as contributors to academic expositions but can be considered so confidential that sharing is severely constrained and as such benefits from the use of data are denied.
We know that forests are being destroyed, sea levels are rising, droughts are imposing challenges for farmers, elevated sea temperatures affect resource availability for fishers, and the natural environment is laced with all sorts of toxins, pathogens, and plastics in many forms. More robust data can quantify improvements or deterioration in a way that offers insight into how customised approaches can be adopted and integrated into our everyday lives. Traditional knowledge and data captured by civil society groups that connect with the world’s most vulnerable people can illustrate people’s lived experiences, their perspectives, and the impacts of climate change on countries and communities.
While data science offers transformative potential in combating the impacts of climate change, there are significant challenges and limitations that must be addressed to harness their full power effectively. It is not just the quality and availability of data, or the ethical considerations and data confidentiality concerns, it is how do we use this data to continue the path towards leveraging the ever-important finance to support our resilience building efforts. Even though we are advancing the development of architecture and infrastructure for comprehensive data collection and conversion into impact models, making information available in a form and fashion to support our climate financing efforts becomes a priority challenge for all of our States. And we must use the latest technological advancements in instrumentation to capture the volume and high definition/resolution data needed to inform the best resilience approaches.
Our narrow fiscal space, however, does not allow our countries to deliver the transformations necessary for full resilience. Recognising also that true resilience is an ever-shifting goal post which will always be striving to attain. How we get there poses challenges that must be met head-on.
I am inviting the panel today to consider two challenges.
What do we need to do to ensure that we can produce, or have access to the quality data and in the volumes necessary to make informed decisions?
What do we need to do to use this data to leverage the financing necessary to support our resilience building efforts at a community, national or regional scale?
To explore the data and finance ecosystem, the CCCCC has invited this distinguished panel of professionals comprising the following:
- Dr. Mark Bynoe, Assistant Executive Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)
- Dr. Mohammad Nagdee, Executive Director of The Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE)
- Mr. O’Reilly Lewis, Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)
- Mr. Crispin d’Auvergne, OECS Commission
- Tracy Smith, NDC Regional Coordinator, CCCCC
Panelists
CCCCC – Mark Bynoe
Dr. Bynoe is the current Assistant Executive Director and Senior Resource Economist within the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics (Resources/Environmental and Trade) from the University of East Anglia, M.Sc. degree in Resource Management from the University of Edinburgh and B.A. in Geography and Economics (Double Major) from the University of Guyana. He has also received certificates from Harvard University and St. Georges University. He is widely published on issues related to resource economics, food security, trade reforms and sustainable economic development. Mark has an interest in climate and development financing, risk management and vulnerability and impact assessments. He works with partner institutions to build development resilience to climate variability and change.
CCREEE – Mohammed Nagdee
Dr. Mohammad Rafik Nagdee is the Executive Director of the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE). He brings a wealth of expertise in climate change diplomacy, strategic planning, resource mobilization, and project leadership, gained through pivotal roles with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the BlueGreen Initiative and other multilateral organizations. Over the past decade, Dr. Nagdee has made significant contributions to advancing environmental sustainability, energy security, and climate resilience across the Caribbean region. He has led the implementation and mobilization of more than US$70Million in grant resources to the Caribbean, underscoring his commitment to regional cooperation and sustainable financing. As a former UNDP Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Green Climate Fund (GCF) focal point, he emphasized the necessity of collective efforts to develop impactful programmes that enhance and compliment natural systems. His leadership is distinguished by his dedication to growing capacity to lead transitions with a primary focus on developing Caribbean technical expertise, ensuring a robust presence in countries that embody a shared vision for a sustainable future, driven by strategic engagement and regional solidarity. As a former head of a NGO, Dr. Nagdee values community solidarity, adopting an integrated approach to sustainable development that leaves no one behind. He is a published author and continues to contribute to academia as a part-time postgraduate lecturer at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus.
OECS Commission – Crispin d’Auvergne
Crispin d’Auvergne is currently Programme Director for Climate and Disaster Resilience at the OECS Commission. A national of Saint Lucia, he previously worked for many years with the Government of that country in the fields of Fisheries, Natural Resource Management, Environment, Sustainable Energy, Ocean Management and Climate Change, with his final position being that of Chief Sustainable Development and Environment Officer. In that position, he also served as his country’s lead technical negotiator on Climate Change, with particular emphasis on Capacity-Building and Public Education & Awareness
In his current position, his areas of focus include resource mobilization, adaptation & resilience-building and low-emission development.
Crispin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies (Natural Resources) from the University of East Anglia (UK) and a Master’s degree in Natural Resources Management (Climate Change) from the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus).
CDB – Lennox O’Reilly Lewis
Mr. Lennox O’Reilly Lewis is a Civil Engineer with over 28 years of technical and managerial experience, in infrastructure development in the Caribbean. Mr. Lewis currently serves as the acting Director of Projects at the Caribbean Development Bank, =where he leads staff responsible for the preparation, appraisal and implementation of all CDB-financed economic infrastructure projects in 19 Borrowing Member Countries stretching from Guyana to Belize. Mr. Lewis’ professional career includes serving as: Water Engineer at the Central Water and Sewerage Authority in St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Sanitary Engineer at the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute; and Solid Waste Manager in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Mr. Lewis is a Past President of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association. He holds a B.Eng in Civil Engineering from the University of Manchester and an M.Sc in Environmental Engineering from Cornell University.
Moderator – Tracy Smith, NDC Regional Coordinator, CCCCC
Tracy Smith serves as the Regional NDC Coordinator at the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), where she leads initiatives to support CARICOM nations in enhancing and implementing their climate commitments. Her work focuses on coordinating national and regional mechanisms for NDC tracking, reporting, and revision, ensuring alignment with UNFCCC guidelines.
