Current global trends such as dropping oil prices, markets uncertainty and climate change effects are challenging the Caribbean economies to find new ways to reduce their vulnerability to external economic shocks. The high dependence on tourism as well as imported food and fossil fuels is avoiding the construction of a more resilient economy supported by economic diversification, technology and innovation and human resource capacity (Bourne 2015). Diversification has been rec

Climate change effects such as sea-level rise and more frequent and stronger hurricanes are constantly threatening the Caribbean population and its economy. As it has been pointed out by the Caribbean Development Bank (2014), the losses from climate change related events can rise to 1-3% of GDP annually being the main affected sectors agriculture, tourism and potable water services, calling urgently for solutions and economic diversification to create a resilient economy (Has

Caribbean islands face specific challenges related to the pollution of seawater and availability and quality of freshwater. Pollution of marine areas from land-based activities such as poorly treated sewage effluents, and industrial and agricultural runoffs, represent a high risk for the human health and the natural environment, including coral reefs. A fact that has caught international attention is the increasing pollution of oceans with plastic debris and micro plastics (I