Antigua and Barbuda Biennial Update Report (BUR)

Working with the Department of the Environment, the team collected data on past, present and future climate change mitigation, adaptation and cross-cutting actions. The data were collected using Aether’s climate action database approach. This approach was also used to link data on targets and objectives, indicators, climate finance and wider impacts relating to national strategies and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The data were presented using Aether’s simple BUR chapter template with a range of infographics and tabular data. The climate action database will provide a comprehensive evidence base, on initiatives and finance flows, to build on for future reporting requirements and to inform decision making at the national level.

The challenge

Antigua and Barbuda is a Non-Annex I party to the UNFCCC and a party to the Kyoto Protocol, whereby it ratified the Paris Agreement in September 2016. This reconfirms the Government’s commitment to join the international efforts to combat climate change by undertaking activities to reduce GHG emissions and limit global warming to maximum two degrees Celsius by the end of this century. Under the Paris Agreement, Non-Annex I Parties are expected to report on national emissions and communicate progress towards Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) through National Communications and BURs.

The challenge was to build a comprehensive view of national climate change action, with links to indicators to track progress, finance and wider impacts for Antigua and Barbuda’s first BUR. As a Small Island Developing State, Antigua and Barbuda’s narrative surrounding climate change is predominantly focussed on adapting to the risks and vulnerabilities posed by the damaging effects of climate change. As such, it was important to reflect this in the content of the BUR. Projects that fall under the umbrella term ‘climate change action’ were therefore largely cross-cutting activities that address both mitigation and adaptation needs.

The solution

Data on Antigua and Barbuda’s climate change actions, indicators, climate finance and wider impacts were collected through a series of stakeholder engagements with representatives from the relevant government departments, statutory bodies and civil society organisations. This process was supported by preliminary data collection using publicly available documents and Aether’s climate action database approach. This approach provides a template for data collection to ensure the information on mitigation, adaptation, indicators and finance are robust, transparent and comprehensive.

Once the climate action database was populated to create a picture of Antigua and Barbuda’s climate action landscape, the data were used to generate a range of charts and tables and exported into Aether’s BUR Mitigation chapter template. This template allows the succinct presentation of information on climate change mitigation and adaption in response to the challenges presented in the greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. The chapter sets out Antigua and Barbuda’s challenges in terms of GHG emissions and projected trends, sectoral climate actions linked to indicators to track progress and a summary of the support for climate action in the country. The chapter also sets out a summary of how the wider impacts of the climate actions are addressing SDGs and national strategies, as well as an overview of constraints and gaps restricting Antigua and Barbuda’s ability to respond to climate change and report on climate actions.

The result

The Mitigation chapter will enable Antigua and Barbuda to report transparently on initiatives addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation through their first BUR. Perhaps more importantly however, the report and climate action database will enable the Department of Environment to take stock of climate related initiatives across the country, including the flow of climate finance, and relate this to national strategies and targets. The data provide a solid evidence base for informed decision making at the national level and guide Antigua and Barbuda’s priorities for addressing climate change going forward.

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