A Holistic Climate Project for Small Islands

Island ecosystems are often isolated and fragile and hence are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In addition, islands are often isolated and unprotected and bear the brunt of extreme weather and sea level rise. Ocean systems that surround islands can quickly change leading to an abrupt alteration in ecosystems and dynamics. For these reasons small, isolated islands, especially those in the Pacific are most vulnerable to climate change either from physical loss of terrain, salt intrusion in soil, or loss of ecosystems and species in both terrestrial and marine environments that are key to community wellbeing.

We supported a client to develop a comprehensive cross-cutting project in a group of Pacific Islands whose economy was reliant on nature-based tourism, fisheries, and agriculture, all of which are being negatively impacted by climate change. The project endeavored to decarbonize the tourism industry through the implementation of clean energy systems in the most populated islands, improve the efficiency and productivity of farming through better land management and removal of invasive species, develop adaptation strategies for the fisheries sector, and develop capacity within each of those sectors to increase awareness and resiliency.

We aided the client and several institutional stakeholders in identifying and aligning the project goals and the theory of change that would be most successful in reaching that goal. Our expertise in driving this process with multiple stakeholders was key to the success of this stage of the project. Furthermore, our expertise in technical systems such as clean energy was crucial in developing a project that was additional and practical.

This comprehensive, multifaceted, and multidisciplinary project successfully reached its funding goal and is in implementation having relied on our guidance that took an ambitious idea and created a practical, impactful, and successful project.

Understanding the communities’, the client’s, and the funder’s needs are important aspects in putting a successful proposal together to mobilize finance for a project.  With our deep experience and broad knowledge base in climate finance, we are able to deliver results.  Reach out to us.