The Commonwealth of Dominica - one of the Windward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean - is paving the way for rebuilding a more sustainable future. Dominica has set forth an ambitious plan to become the first Climate Resilient Country by 2030. The 2017 hurricane season was particularly devastating to the island, affecting nearly 80% of the population and leaving an estimated 90% of roofs across the island either damaged or totally destroyed. Five days following Hurricane Maria’s landfall, the Prime Minister of Dominica - Roosevelt Skerritt - addressed the UN General Assembly and resolved to rebuild Dominica as the first climate resilient nation in the world. PM Skerritt has spoken openly about the effects of climate change on the small island, and through the formation of the Climate Resilience Execution Agency of Dominica (CREAD) has sought to put his words into action.
So what makes a country climate-resilient? Dominica is setting the precedent and has outlined a comprehensive plan with an explicit goal, “significantly reducing the impact of, and time to recover from climatic and other natural shocks, as well as boosting the overall socioeconomic development trajectory of the country”. The rebuilding efforts are partially funded by the Citizenship by Investment Program which allows investors to become economic citizens of Dominica either through investment in the Economic Diversification Fund or in CIP-approved real estate.
More highlights of the plan in action:
The Housing Revolution initiative has built over 1,000 hurricane-proof homes to date, with ongoing plans to build 5,000 in total.
On May 28th, Dominica announced a ban on single use plastic bags to be rolled out over the next two months.
Learn more: CREAD Homepage Citizenship by Investment Programme Photo by Markus Spiske