Turks and Caicos Islands

5. ADAPTIVE CAPACITY PROFILE FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
Adaptive capacity is the ability of a system to evolve in order to accommodate climate changes or to
expand the range of vulnerability to which it can cope (Nicholls et al., 2007). Many small island states have
low adaptive capacity and adaptation costs are high relative to GDP (Mimura et al., 2007). Overall the
adaptive capacity of small island states is low due to the physical size of nations, limited access to capital
and technology, shortage of human resource skills and limited access to resources for construction (IPCC,
2001).
Low adaptive capacity, amongst other things, enhances vulnerability and reduces resilience to climate
change (Mimura et al., 2007). While even a high adaptive capacity may not translate into effective
adaptation if there is no commitment to sustained action (Luers and Moser, 2006). In addition, Mimura et
al. (2007) suggest that very little work has been done on adaptive capacity of small island states; therefore
this project aims to improve data and knowledge on both vulnerability and adaptive capacity in the
Caribbean small island states to improve each country’s capacity to respond to climate change.
Information on the following factors was gathered, where possible to reflect adaptive capacity for each
socio-economic sector:
Resource availability (financial, human, knowledge, technical)
Institutional and governance networks and competence
Political leadership and commitment
Social capital and equity
Information technologies and communication systems
Health of environment
The information is arranged by sector, under the headings Policy, Management and Technology in order to
facilitate comparisons across sectors and help decision makers identify areas for potential collaboration
and synergy. Some of these synergies have been included in practical Recommendations and Strategies for
Action which is the following section of this report
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