Government launches project to establish Climate Data Repository

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, 20 June 2024 – The Government of St Kitts and Nevis launched a project to establish the first Digital Climate Data Repository for the Federation. Stakeholders from across St Kitts and Nevis came together for consultative sessions from the 17-18 June 2024 at the Nevis Disaster Management Conference Room and at the St Kitts Marriot Resort on each respective day.

The Digital Climate Data Repository aims to provide accurate and actionable information which will enable the country to better understand and predict the impacts of climate change, as well as inform decision-making related to disaster risk reduction and climate services opportunities. 

Additionally, it seeks to increase stakeholders’ and communities’ understanding of climate change, early warning systems, and emergency response in order to support more effective decision-making and mitigation of climate-related risks.

During the launch, Auren Manners, GCF focal point within the Ministry of Sustainable Development, highlighted that the project will take the Government closer to where it needs to be, which is an increased reliance on data for evidence-based, decision-making which is best achieved through digitalization. 

Elmo Burke, Senior MET Officer, in his delivery, explained that the project was born out of an earlier Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis of the St Kitts Meteorological Department that assessed the Department’s ability to inform decision-making in key climate sensitive sectors. He informed that the project will also facilitate storm surge and wave modelling for the country as well as introduce a front-facing website for the meteorological services.

The project, which is funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), will be implemented over 10 months by the international consulting firm HR Wallingford which has previously worked with the water sector in St. Kitts and Nevis on strengthening climate resilience. It will be overseen by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5 Cs) which continues to serve as the government’s delivery partner on several GCF funded initiatives.

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