The New GOV.KY Has Launched
The New GOV.KY Has Launched
The New GOV.KY Has Launched
The New GOV.KY Has Launched
Cleaner design, improved search and new features to help you get things done.
Learn More →
Updated on 2 December 2025
 12:34 PM

Climate Change Policy

Overview

Led by the current Ministry of Health, Environment & Sustainability (previously Sustainability, Climate Resiliency & Wellness), and in consultation with various public and private sector stakeholders, the Cayman Islands Government has approved the national Climate Change Policy (2024-2050). 

This policy outlines a 26-year plan and addresses identified climate risks in a proactive and impactful way (adaptation), while reducing the country’s contributions to greenhouse gases (mitigation).

The Government recognises that urgent action is needed to lessen or avoid the high costs and serious hardships resulting from current climate risks, which could be significantly exacerbated if the country is not sufficiently prepared.

Policy is a strategic pathway for a more climate-resilient future for the benefit of us all, and the key to its success is in the collaboration of everyone – government ministries, non-government organisations, the private sector and the people of the Cayman Islands.

The Cayman Islands Government approved the Policy on Wednesday, 25 September 2024.

About Climate Change

The earth's climate is changing due to a buildup of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in our atmosphere. Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have released large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

While natural processes, such as changes in the sun's energy, also affect the earth's climate, they do not explain the level of warming observed over the last century, which is nearly 1.2°C on average above pre-industrial levels.

The 2015 Paris Agreement formally recognises and legally binds countries that have signed up to the agreement to do their part to limit the global average temperature rise to well below 2°C, and make every effort to keep it at 1.5°C. Holding global warming to this lower long-term temperature goal is vital to the survival of small, low-lying island economies, peoples and environments.

Watch the Ministry's video below about climate change. 

About the Policy

In 2011, the Cayman Islands Government delivered a draft Climate Change Policy. This policy underwent three years of stakeholder consultation, and was informed by two important analyses: 

  • Climate Change Issues for the Cayman Islands: Towards a Climate Change Policy (2011)
  • Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment of the Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise Impacts on The Cayman Islands’ Tourism Sector (2011)

Although the policy remained in draft form, some of its recommendations were achieved. This includes the adoption of the National Energy Policy, which set a long-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, and the passage of the National Conservation Act (2013), which formally recognised the Cayman Islands’ international climate treaty obligations.

Many of the issues that were identified in the draft policy have remained relevant for the three Islands over the years.

The approved Cayman Islands Climate Change Policy 2024-2050 is largely guided by the Climate Change Risk Assessment which was conducted in 2022. Funded through the Governor’s Office by the United Kingdom’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, and following extensive desktop research, technical stakeholder consultation and public engagement, the resulting Cayman Islands Climate Change Evidence Report (2022) is now the most comprehensive reference document to date on the potential implications of climate change on the Cayman Island’s environment, society and economy.

The use of the Climate Change Risk Assessment as a guiding document ensures that the policy is grounded in the most current climate science available that is specific to our islands and our region.

Climate Change Risk Assessment

The Climate Change Risk Assessment analysed the climatic changes that are responsible for impacts on the environment, society, and the economy.

The likelihood that a particular impact will occur, combined with its severity and stakeholders’ confidence in the available data, was used to determine what risks the Cayman Islands is facing, and what those risk levels are (i.e., low, moderate, severe).

Local and regional data reveal that climatic changes are now underway, and will continue into the future. Some examples include:  

  • fewer but more severe rainfall events; 
  • increased frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones; and, 
  • increased in air and sea temperatures.

Of the 50 risks analysed in the risk assessment, 18 were found to be ‘severe’. Some examples of severe risks include the following:

  • disruption to fuel imports and power generation
  • damage and inundation of the sewerage system
  • loss of coastal protection function associated with removal of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses, and beaches
  • decline in these natural assets that underpin the tourism sector

The updated Climate Change Policy is an essential plan to protecting people, the environment, and the economy. 

Scroll to the Publications section to download the summary or full evidence report. 

Policy Vision

The vision of the Climate Change Policy is:

A climate-resilient Cayman Islands that promotes and sustains vibrant communities, a thriving natural environment and a robust economy, where people can live their best lives now and for future generations.

 There are 6 key focus areas, each with a specific aim to help achieve the vision:

  • Robust Economy | Diversifying economic sectors and providing access to financial and technical resources to foster sustainable livelihoods
  • Liveable Built Environment | Planning holistically and building climate-resilient structures and sites to safeguard citizens, businesses and cultural heritage
  • Healthy and Resilient Communities | Improving the health and safety outcomes of communities
  • Resilient Infrastructure Networks | Enhancing the capacity and functionality of critical infrastructure and its networks to withstand extreme weather events
  • Harmony with Nature | Safeguarding the integrity of nature and its ecosystem services to support a robust economy and healthy communities
  • Integration and Coordination | Developing government processes and capacity to take urgent climate action

Policy Quick Wins

Quick wins for a Robust Economy as part of the Climate Change Policy of the Cayman Islands

Quick wins for a Robust Economy as part of the Climate Change Policy of the Cayman Islands

Quick wins for a Robust Economy as part of the Climate Change Policy of the Cayman Islands

Quick wins for a Robust Economy as part of the Climate Change Policy of the Cayman Islands

Quick wins for a Robust Economy as part of the Climate Change Policy of the Cayman Islands

Quick wins for a Robust Economy as part of the Climate Change Policy of the Cayman Islands

What You Can Do

Make Your Home & Property Resilient

Climate change is affecting all of us, but there are proactive steps that you can take to protect your home and your family. Whether you're concerned about the impacts of extreme weather, or the rising cost of energy, My Resilient Home & Property Guide is here to help.

This guide is packed with advice on:

  • Preparing your home and property for extreme weather events and changing conditions;
  • Making the indoor home environment healthier and energy-efficient; and,
  • Other preparedness tips and resources to help you future-proof your living space. 

By downloading this guide, you'll learn practical tips to help you increase your home’s resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Ready to get started? 

"My Resilient Home & Property" Guide Cayman Islands

FAQs

Weather describes the atmospheric conditions we experience on a day-to-day and weekly basis.

Climate describes the average weather conditions in a specific area over a longer period of time (usually 30 years or more). Climate includes all the expected variability that can be seen in the weather, like average high and low temperatures during different times of the year.

Global warming is a component of climate change. Global warming refers to the increase in global average temperatures caused primarily by the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere from human activities since the Industrial Revolution (1850s).

This increase in temperature affects the way the climate system operates, which alters biological (e.g., plants and animals), physical (e.g., ocean currents, winds), and chemical (e.g., nutrient cycles, water salinity) properties and processes on our planet.

Our climate is said to be changing when shifts are observed in the long-term trends of parameters like temperature and rainfall.

Global cooling, caused most notably by large volcanic eruptions, also affects the climate system.

Gases that trap heat in our atmosphere are called greenhouse gases. Examples of greenhouse gases include: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases.

How much of a warming effect each gas has depends on how much of it is in our atmosphere, how long it remains in our atmosphere, and how strongly it impacts our climate system. This is referred to its Global Warming Potential or GWP.

Evidence that our climate is changing comes from global, regional, and local data. Observations by the average person and indigenous peoples are extremely important in building this evidence base, which is used to inform modelling projections of future climate risks and forecast the types of impacts expected.

Temperature

Data from the Cayman Islands National Weather Service show that Cayman is experiencing warmer days and warmer nights, leading to a decrease in the daily temperature range. Overall, it’s getting warmer. Between 1971 and 2022:

  • average (mean) air temperature increased about 2°C
  • minimum and maximum air temperature has increased by about 2.7°C and 0.5°C, respectively. 

Above-average annual temperatures in the Cayman Islands are an increasing occurrence, such as that seen in 2023.

Recent records indicate year-on-year increases in average temperatures, with global, regional or national records broken regularly. The average global temperature was at least 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for about a third of the days in 2023.

Global climate models project mean annual temperatures for the Cayman Islands to increase through to the end of this century on the order of:

  • 0.42-2.25°C by 2041-2060 – so could be up to the same amount we experienced in the last 50 years
  • 0.07-4.23°C by 2081-2100 – so could be double the temperature increase we experienced in the last 50 years

Regional climate models produce more accurate simulations and project temperatures to increase by:

  • 1.57-2.40°C by 2050
  • 2.53-3.72°C by 2100

These temperatures put our elderly, those with pre-existing conditions, and outdoor workers in many sectors of the economy at even higher health-related risks. Warmer sea temperatures also do not bode well for our coral reefs already at the threshold of existence in some (El Niño) years when bleaching events occur for longer periods, placing those reliant on livelihoods from diving and watersports tourism and fisheries at increased vulnerability.

 

Rainfall

Data from the Cayman Islands National Weather Service (CINWS) show that Cayman has been experiencing a drying trend, with annual rainfall decreasing approximately 7 inches between 1971 and 2022.  Rainfall data collected at the Owen Roberts International Airport suggest fewer but more severe rain events in the most recent two decades (see figure).

Regional models do not indicate significant changes in rainfall across seasons for the near term (2030s), but do predict more intense but fewer rain events towards the end of the century. Heavier rainfall events are expected to be concentrated in storms. Global models also suggest little change in annual rainfall through to the 2080s. A drying trend, however, sets in toward the end of the century.

These projections indicate the extent of climate variability in our future, which can significantly impact our farming and horticultural communities if left unprepared. Recharge of our freshwater lenses rely on a sufficient supply of annual rainfall. Ensuring these and other climate-sensitive sectors are aware of and plan for a progressively drying climate is critical.

Storms

In the Atlantic and other oceans, global model projections indicate that the frequency of tropical cyclones will likely decrease or remain unchanged in the foreseeable future. For the Caribbean region there is lower confidence in projections of overall frequency, however, fewer storms are predicted.

Some studies suggest that there will be an increase in storm intensity and the number of major hurricanes (category 3 or higher), thus causing significantly more damage and losses to property, economic sectors and livelihoods. 

Sea Level

Between 1960 and 2014, sea level rose in the Caribbean region at a rate of 2.5-3.0 mm/year. Tide gauges in South Sound and the North Sound showed a rise of 1.76 ± 1.5 mm/year for 1972-1996 and 2.76 ± 0.9 mm/year for 1976-2003, respectively.

Although detailed projections of sea level rise are not currently available for the Cayman Islands, recent data from the United National Development Programme Human Climate Horizons project sea level rise for Cayman under a very high GHG emissions scenario at:

  • About 1ft by 2040-2059
  • Over 2ft by 2080-2099

Other studies have made similar sea-level rise projections for southern Cuba and the wider Caribbean region.

Impacts from these sea changes could result in roughly 3-12% of the land area of the Cayman Islands under mean sea level, exposing approximately 2-7% of the (present-day) population to flood risk.

Our climate is changing fast. We are currently experiencing and will continue to experience climate conditions and extreme weather events that we are not used to and not prepared for. These changes to our climate are creating challenges that put many of us at risk.

Some climate change risks are considered more pressing for the Cayman Islands because of our country’s inherent vulnerabilities. Our islands are, on average, 7ft above sea level, in the hurricane belt, and have a generally dry climate. We are highly dependent on external sources for the supplies we rely on, such as our food, fuel and building materials.

Climate change can affect property costs and even make some areas uninhabitable due to issues like flooding, which already occurs along our coastlines and in some inland areas of our islands. This impacts homes and businesses, making it more costly to live and work in these areas. Without measures to address the constant rise in sea-level, activities we take for granted today, like flushing our toilets, could become more problematic for an ever-increasing population.

Stress from warmer sea temperatures is causing negative impacts on our natural environment like coral bleaching, which can lead to coral death in extreme cases. Our tourism product largely depends on a healthy environment and calm weather conditions in which to enjoy the coral reefs and other natural assets.

In addition to severe rainfall and storm events that affect crop yields and disrupts supply chains, drought conditions can also threaten the agricultural sector locally and abroad, jeopardizing national food security.

A policy on climate change would establish a shared vision of a resilient Cayman Islands, and the approaches that should be taken to get us there. It would provide a common starting point from which Government, businesses, neighbourhoods, and individuals can understand the impacts of a changing climate for this small, low-lying archipelago, and make decisions about our future through a climate resiliency lens.

Because climate change is a long-term issue, a policy would help the country plan ahead, and shape where we desire to be in decades to come. Our future depends on the policies we make today. Delaying action means greater obstacles, costs, and hardship later on.

To become more resilient means to build strength against issues that could harm or change the way something is structured or functions in the natural or built environment. Enhancing resiliency requires learning and adapting to new circumstances.

For example, if a region is experiencing more intense rainfall events, a city could construct swales that contain natural vegetation to absorb and retain stormwater. A small island that depends on food imports could increase their local food production, focusing on produce that can withstand high temperatures and winds, to insulate against rising global food prices.

Vulnerability describes how susceptible individuals, communities, assets or systems are to the impacts of hazards. Our vulnerability as individuals and communities depends on many different factors and can change relative to one’s exposure and sensitivity to the hazard and capacity to adapt. For example, two households living on the same coastline, but one in a two-storey concrete house with ample home insurance and the other in a single-storey wood structure with no insurance, are not necessarily facing the same level of vulnerability to an impending hurricane.

When we are considering how best to prepare our people and communities to climate change, it is important to ensure we are addressing the different determinants of vulnerability. This is particularly vital for certain groups (e.g., elderly, disabled, children, single-income female-led households), generally called “vulnerable groups” due to the various ways in which they can be at a disadvantage compared to the general population.

Adaptation: Action to manage the risks of climate change impacts, e.g. flood protection, coastal resilience planning, neighbourhood redesign, social support and economic safety nets, etc.

Mitigation: Action to reduce emissions that cause climate change, e.g. renewable energy, alternative transport and efficient transportation networks, working from home, building energy efficiency, etc.

Not all climate change impacts are rare; they include both extreme, infrequent events like hurricanes, and slow on-set conditions like the increase in temperatures and the water table.

Extreme, infrequent events can be extremely expensive and take months or even years to recover from (e.g. Ivan was a severe category 4 CI$2.8 billion event; major events like these are predicted to occur more frequently).

Slow on-set conditions may be more subtle but they can have significant socioeconomic impacts. As the climate continues to warm, these subtle changes are becoming less so, obliging us to address them more quickly.  

Strategies that address climate-related issues often result in positive outcomes that are unrelated to the climate (e.g., food and energy security). If we do not take urgent action to prepare for the impacts of climate change, the other issues affecting our communities will persist or even get worse (e.g. cost of living, flooding, etc.). 

Reducing our local GHG emissions serves a number of purposes:

  1. Measures to reduce GHG emissions, like improving energy efficiencies and using renewables, can increase our energy security and resiliency to global changes. 
  2. Measures to curb GHG emissions can reduce local air pollution and therefore the risk pollutants pose to human health. 
  3. Policies and measures that reduce GHG emissions, especially when combined with those that respond to adverse impacts, help the Cayman Islands to meet its obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – the global umbrella for climate action. 
  4. Climate change threatens the wellbeing and long-term existence of life on the planet, suggesting all countries, regardless of size, have a moral obligation and responsibility to reduce their emissions. 

Cayman’s GHG emissions are calculated annually and reported to the UNFCCC Secretariat as part of the United Kingdom’s overall emissions. Emissions come from every activity such as energy and transport use, changes in our land use and waste management practices, as well as economic sectors like agriculture, business and industry. The pie chart shows the percentage of our GHG emissions broken down by sector. The way we currently generate electricity and transport people and goods using mostly fossil fuels means these are our two largest emitting sectors.

The Cayman Islands has one of the highest GHG emissions per capita relative to other UK Overseas Territories and even large industrialised nations. Our GHG footprint was 18.2 tCO2e (tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent) per person in 2022. This is more than double the UK’s 7 tCO2e per head, and on par with Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United States - all fossil fuel producing nations.

The four most prevalent greenhouse gases emitted in the Cayman Islands are:

  • Carbon dioxide (CO2) makes up the bulk of our GHG footprint. It is largely generated from the burning of fossil fuels for electricity production, in transportation (including aviation and maritime uses), as well as from the clearing (deforestation) and burning of vegetation.
  • Methane (CH4) emissions are mostly associated with our waste management practices at landfills, sewage treatment plants and on farms, and vehicle use. While methane is produced to a much lesser extent than CO2, it is 28 times more potent in the atmosphere.
  • Nitrous oxide (N20) is emitted as a result of burning wood, crops, manure or garbage, converting to pastureland, fertilizer use, how we drive our vehicles, and the type and age of their engines. Though occurring in smaller quantities, N2O emissions are nearly 300 times more destructive to the climate system than the same amount of CO2 emissions.
  • Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are emitted mostly from the refrigerants we use in our building cooling and refrigeration systems. Globally, HFCs replaced CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) in refrigerants that were harmful to the ozone layer. However, HFCs have a range of global warming potentials and can be nearly 15,000 times more detrimental to the climate system than CO2!

The release of these gases in the Cayman Islands have trended upwards since 1990 (as seen in the bar graph), owing to our rising population, expanding economy, and the high quality of life enjoyed by the majority of residents.

Additional Resources

Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Freedom of Information Contact Us