Data gaps ‘threaten’ global climate funding access

Barbados risks losing ground in its drive for international climate finance unless it can provide the detailed, reliable data lenders and donors require, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment, National Beautification and Fisheries Santia Bradshaw has warned.

During a high-level site visit to the Fisheries Breakwater and Sugar Berth Works at the Bridgetown Fishing Complex alongside a World Bank technical team, Bradshaw warned that Barbados will find it “increasingly difficult to finance” climate initiatives if it cannot properly measure and present its data to international donors. Without coordinated reporting systems, the country could struggle to turn its recognised climate vulnerability into financial support.

Addressing gaps in the country’s current data-collection framework, she said global advocacy led by Prime Minister Mia Mottley had raised awareness of the island’s exposure to extreme weather, but international lenders now require detailed data to justify their investments.