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Turning Vulnerability into Innovation: The Climate Solutions Emerging from Small Islands
Manage episode 508149498 series 2805813
In this week’s episode of Climate Confident, I sit down with Emily Wilkinson, Principal Research Fellow at ODI Global and Director of the Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI), to explore one of the most pressing and least discussed frontlines of the climate crisis: small island developing states (SIDS).
These 39 nations, scattered across the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean, contribute less than 1% of global emissions yet face the most existential threats, from rising seas and saltwater intrusion to increasingly frequent Category 5 hurricanes. Emily explains why Dominica’s 2017 disaster, damage equivalent to 226% of its GDP, was a turning point, sparking its bold ambition to become the world’s first climate-resilient nation.
We also dive into the financial side of resilience. Emily outlines groundbreaking tools such as climate-resilient debt clauses, debt-for-nature swaps, and pooled insurance schemes, innovations that give vulnerable economies breathing space after disasters. She shares examples of islands turning challenges into opportunities, like converting invasive sargassum seaweed into clean biogas, deploying floating solar in lagoons, and tapping geothermal energy beneath volcanic islands.
We discuss the Bridgetown Initiative spearheaded by Mia Mottley, which is reshaping global climate finance debates, and how small island leaders are punching above their weight on the international stage.
If you want to understand why SIDS are both the most vulnerable and the most innovative actors in the climate fight, and what their experiments can teach the rest of us, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
Listen now to hear how small islands are rewriting the rules of resilience.
Also check out Emily's podcast - Small Islands, Big Picture
Podcast supporters
I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers:
- Ben Gross
- Jerry Sweeney
- Andreas Werner
- Stephen Carroll
- Roger Arnold
And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes.
Contact
If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn.
If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show.
Credits
Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper
32 episodes
Manage episode 508149498 series 2805813
In this week’s episode of Climate Confident, I sit down with Emily Wilkinson, Principal Research Fellow at ODI Global and Director of the Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI), to explore one of the most pressing and least discussed frontlines of the climate crisis: small island developing states (SIDS).
These 39 nations, scattered across the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean, contribute less than 1% of global emissions yet face the most existential threats, from rising seas and saltwater intrusion to increasingly frequent Category 5 hurricanes. Emily explains why Dominica’s 2017 disaster, damage equivalent to 226% of its GDP, was a turning point, sparking its bold ambition to become the world’s first climate-resilient nation.
We also dive into the financial side of resilience. Emily outlines groundbreaking tools such as climate-resilient debt clauses, debt-for-nature swaps, and pooled insurance schemes, innovations that give vulnerable economies breathing space after disasters. She shares examples of islands turning challenges into opportunities, like converting invasive sargassum seaweed into clean biogas, deploying floating solar in lagoons, and tapping geothermal energy beneath volcanic islands.
We discuss the Bridgetown Initiative spearheaded by Mia Mottley, which is reshaping global climate finance debates, and how small island leaders are punching above their weight on the international stage.
If you want to understand why SIDS are both the most vulnerable and the most innovative actors in the climate fight, and what their experiments can teach the rest of us, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
Listen now to hear how small islands are rewriting the rules of resilience.
Also check out Emily's podcast - Small Islands, Big Picture
Podcast supporters
I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers:
- Ben Gross
- Jerry Sweeney
- Andreas Werner
- Stephen Carroll
- Roger Arnold
And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes.
Contact
If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn.
If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show.
Credits
Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper
32 episodes
All episodes
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