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• Lack of expertise, integrating policy recommendations, and visibility were challenges. • Collaboration, linkages to policymakers, and effective communication were opportunities. • Optimizing the Regional NITAG Network is one of the most promising ways forward. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Americas faced a significant decline in vaccination coverage as well as increased vaccine hesitancy. The objective of this paper is to summarize the challenges and opportunities outlined by the National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and prioritize targeted interventions. The exploratory survey included open-ended questions on two primary components: challenges, and opportunities. Free-text comments presented by each NITAG were collated and classified using indicators and sub-indicators of the NITAG Maturity Assessment Tool (NMAT). Opportunities were classified thematically, and priority actions were generated from the responses. All 21 NITAGs in LAC, representing 40 countries, 76 % of which have been active for over a decade, responded to the survey. The most common challenges were establishment and composition (62 %), integration into policymaking (62 %), resources and secretariat (52 %), and stakeholder recognition (48 %). The distribution of responses was seen across the whole sample and did not suggest a more pronounced need in relation to year of establishment. Opportunities included maximizing the Regional NITAG Network of the Americas (RNA) to facilitate collaboration, information sharing, visibility, and communication; existing global, regional, and systemic analyses; the World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization (WHO/PAHO) templates for standard operating procedures; twinning programs with mature NITAGs; and NITAGs in governance structures. Action plans were outlined to formalize the establishment of NITAGs and broaden their composition; strengthen decision-making and access to data resources; and enhance the credibility of evidence-based recommendations and their uptake by policymakers and the public. NITAG challenges are not unique to LAC. NITAGs have outlined a short-term prioritized action plan which is critical to enhancing NITAG value and importance in countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While formal institutions are considered rather stable in Western countries, the same cannot be said of those in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). In LAC, these institutions are superseded by nonformalized but deeply embedded practices—especially of political favoritism. Accordingly, this paper explores how members of parliament in LAC favor their birth regions by providing clientelistic goods and services to their constituents. The paper shows that the development of subnational regions is affected by their proximity to parliament leaders' birthplaces. We collect data on 366 political leaders' birth locations over 1992–2016 and construct a panel of approximately 183,000 subnational micro–regions across 45 LAC countries/autonomous territories. Our results show that incumbent parliament leaders favor regions near their birthplaces, as measured by night light emissions and World Bank aid. This favoritism is enabled by the patterns of formal institutional weakness, and de jure plus de facto influence given to the parliament by the particularly unstable constitutions of LAC countries. • In LAC, institutions are often overshadowed by non–formalized but deeply embedded corrupt practices such as favoritism. • This study shows how the development of subnational regions is affected by their proximity to parliament leaders' birthplaces. • It comprises approximately 183,000 subnational micro–regions across 45 LAC countries/autonomous territories. • Data was collected on 366 political leaders' birth locations over the years 1992–2016. • Leaders of parliament in LAC favor their birth regions by providing clientelistic goods and services to their constituents. • Not just presidents but also parliament leaders engage in regional favoritism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Based on GTAP 10 database, RED-ALC China and China Global Investment Tracker database, we use the CGE model to simulate the influences of Chinese multinationals' investment on Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) economies. • Chinese investment and the booming economy are the engines for LAC development. • Chinese ODI contributes to GDP growth, and trade balance improvement in LAC. • The industries with resource endowments in LAC have expanded largely and squeezed out the production of manufactures. Under the 'Belt and Road' initiative, China has expanded its footprint in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) and contributed to LAC FDI stock, as well as, gross fixed capital formation and GDP. Based on the firm-level Chinese investment data and GTAP database, this paper uses the computable general equilibrium model to estimate the influences of Chinese direct investment on LAC economies. Chinese ODI and the booming economy are the engines for LAC development, according to its contribution to GDP, and trade balance improvement. The rest of LAC economies, China and US benefit indirectly from Chinese investment as well. Each country gives its full play to its comparative advantages. However, it is cautious that the industries with resource endowments in LAC have expanded largely and squeezed out the production of manufactures, which makes LAC economies more dependent on the growth of Chinese economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Zika virus (ZIKV) incidence was studied in a prospective cohort of travellers. • During the 2016 outbreak in the Americas, ZIKV incidence was 17% per month of travel. • Only one of nine ZIKV cases (11%) was asymptomatic. Abstract Background The incidence rate of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in travellers from non-endemic areas to the Americas during the ZIKV outbreak in 2016 is unknown. Methods Belgian adults who planned to travel to South America, Central America, and the Caribbean were recruited prospectively to study the incidence and characteristics of ZIKV. Demographic data and sera were collected at baseline. Participants were trained to collect capillary blood on filter paper (BFP). When ill during travel, the participants completed a questionnaire and they sampled BFP for post-hoc analysis. All symptomatic participants were screened for ZIKV using ZIKV-specific RT-PCR on serum or urine, or BFP, and antibody detection assays (ELISA). Follow-up sera of asymptomatic travellers, obtained at least 20 days post travel, were tested by ZIKV ELISA only. All positive ELISA results were subject to confirmation by virus neutralization testing (VNT). Results Forty-nine participants completed follow-up: 38 women and 11 men, with a median age of 32 years (range 19–64 years). Travel destinations were countries in South America (n = 20), Central America (n = 24), and the Caribbean (n = 5). The total travel duration was 67.8 person-months. Illness was reported by 24 participants (49.0%). ZIKV infection was confirmed in nine cases, by RT-PCR (n = 5) and by VNT (n = 4). Only one of nine ZIKV cases (11.1%) was asymptomatic. The ZIKV incidence rate was 17.0% (95% confidence interval 7.8–32.2%) per month of travel. Conclusions The ZIKV incidence rate in adult travellers from non-endemic countries to the epidemic territories during the 2016 outbreak was high. Asymptomatic ZIKV infection was rare in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the need to encourage modal shift from motorised vehicle use to active modes becomes greater, it is important to understand the key factors influencing the decision of how to travel. This paper explores the association between bicycle commuting and a range of sociodemographic and built and natural environment characteristics across wards and boroughs in Greater London, UK, with an aim to identify the key factors which influence participation. We employed a Bayesian multilevel heteroskedastic model with heterogeneity in variance, which can address dependencies in the data and unobserved heterogeneity more fully. This allowed us to account for unobserved/unmeasured covariates such as collective attitudes and the existence of cycling cultures that may differ between Greater London boroughs. We found that the propensity for bicycle commuting increases with an increase in the employment rate, the populations of white British and mixed white and black Caribbean, the proportion of terraced houses, and cycle network density. Conversely, we found that the propensity for bicycle commuting decreases with an increase in the absence of academic qualifications, the area of non-domestic buildings, the population of Indians and Pakistanis, and the number of cars per household. Our analysis also revealed important between-borough variations in the effect of key explanatory variables. Notably, the effects of the populations of Indians, Pakistanis, and mixed white and black Caribbean, and the number of cars per household all vary across Greater London boroughs. Finally, by allowing for heterogeneity in variance, we found that rates of bicycle commuting are more dispersed in Inner London and as the number of cars per household increases. Our analysis highlights the importance of cycling infrastructure in promoting bicycle commuting. • Investigation of area-level correlates of bicycle commuting across Greater London, UK. • Novel use of Bayesian multilevel heteroskedastic model with heterogeneity in variance. • Employment, certain ethnicities, terraced housing and cycle network density can increase bike commuting. • Population with no qualifications, non-domestic buildings and car ownership decrease bike commuting. • Bike commuting rates more dispersed in Inner London and as car ownership increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines econometrically the determinants of air cargo supply in the countries of Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) using city-pair data for 2011–2020. We find that air cargo supply tends to be concentrated in airports located in highly populated cities. The relationship between income and air cargo supply is more complex although its positive effect seems to be more consistent for dedicated cargo flights. In addition, we only find a negative relationship between distance and air cargo supply when we focus on belly cargo. Low-cost airlines spur cargo in passenger flights buy they do not have any positive role in dedicated cargo flights. Free trade agreements seem to contribute positively to a greater supply of air cargo, but this effect is concentrated on belly cargo and intra-regional routes. In contrast, the quality of the infrastructure at the airport of origin positively impacts air cargo supply only on dedicated flights and extra-regional routes. Finally, we do find evidence that a more intense competition between airlines and the greater use of wide-body aircraft have a positive effect on cargo supply. • We examine air cargo services supply at origin/destination level. • We find a weak influence of distance on dedicated cargo flights. • Low-cost airlines spur cargo in passenger flights but not in dedicated cargo flights. • Free trade agreements impact positively on belly cargo and intra-regional routes. • Infrastructure quality has positive effects on cargo flights and extra-regional routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populists since the Roman Republic have argued for redistribution from an elite to ordinary people and depicted themselves as the true representative of the 'people'. However, very little research has explored whether populists actually affect the distribution of income or consumption when in power. The present paper therefore asks, whether populists administrations actually achieve redistribution. After a short theoretical discussion, our empirical strategy combines new data on populism in Latin America and the Caribbean with information on income and consumption inequality since 1970. Estimates suggest that populist governments in the region generally have achieved no redistribution, leading us to conclude that the redistributive aims of populists are mainly empty rhetoric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Massive numbers of domestic workers have the longest commutes of all workers in urban Bogotá. • Domestic workers travel mostly between low and high-income residential areas. • Domestic workers are captive users of public transportation. • The integrated time-window to change between vehicles could be insufficient for many domestic workers. • Mobility solutions for domestic workers could extend to other similarly situated social groups. Transportation, gender and social exclusion have increasingly come together in scholarly pursuits and policy agendas in Latin America and the Caribbean. The recognition of the gender dimension of sustainable mobility has opened a space to consider the role of women, especially of those facing poverty and exclusion, in this global agenda. However, research on the link between precarious occupations, social exclusion, and gender, and the role that mobility plays both in enhancing and limiting development opportunities for highly vulnerable workers in the Global South is still limited. Based on Bogotá's 2015 Mobility Survey, data from an application that matches domestic workers with employers (HogarU) and interviews conducted with domestic workers, this paper investigates the case of Bogotá, Colombia, to describe domestic workers' daily commutes. More specifically, it focuses on the long duration of their trips, their patterns, their inevitable connection to public transportation, and the financial implications for their restricted family budget. Considering a legal provision that establishes a time-window for switching between public transportation vehicles, the paper also examines its effects on domestic workers' commutes. By doing so, the paper aims to address the situation not only of the massive group of female domestic workers traversing the city every day, but also of other similarly situated social groups that could find in transportation a path towards greater social inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A good knowledge of the intermittency of atmospheric pollutants is crucial for air pollution management. We consider here particulate matter P M 10 and ground-level ozone O 3 time series in Guadeloupe archipelago which experiments a tropical and humid climate in the Caribbean zone. The aim of this paper is to study their scaling statistics in the framework of fully developed turbulence and Kolmogorov’s theory. Firstly, we estimate their Fourier power spectra and consider their scaling properties in the physical space. The power spectra computed follows a power law behavior for both considered pollutants. Thereafter we study the scaling behavior of P M 10 and O 3 time series. Contrary to numerous studies where the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis is frequently applied, here, the classical structure function analysis is used to extract the scaling exponent or multifractal spectrum ζ ( q ) ; this function provides a full characterization of a process at all intensities and all scales. The obtained results show that P M 10 and O 3 possess intermittent and multifractal properties. The singularity spectrum M S ( α ) also confirms both pollutants multifractal features. The originality of this work comes from a statistical modeling performed on ζ ( q ) and M S ( α ) by a lognormal model to compute the intermittency parameter μ . By contrast with P M 10 which mainly depends on puffs of Saharan dust (synoptic-scale), O 3 is more intermittent due to variability of its local precursors. The results presented in this paper can help to better understand the mechanisms governing the dynamics of P M 10 and O 3 in Caribbean islands context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanisation, climate change and natural hazards present serious challenges for the Caribbean which Habitat III brought into focus. This paper critically examines problems associated with these complex challenges, to propose a relevant Caribbean specific New Urban Agenda and suggest implementation mechanisms which are essential to forge ahead. It reviews urban issues for fifteen countries that constitute the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). These problems are investigated from the perspective of four pillars of economic, social and environmental sustainability, and governance. The paper reveals that with the application of these main components and related thematic elements, many countries in this grouping are underperforming in achieving the sustainable development goal of safe, resilient and sustainable urban settlements. The main conclusion drawn is that countries of the CARICOM Caribbean should not adopt an imported blueprint to resolve critical urban issues. This is an opportune time for crafting a relevant indigenous New Urban Agenda for CARICOM Caribbean countries and finding the right implementation mechanisms to be at the frontline of change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Regularization is a novel way to address the collinearity in variables driving electricity access. • Increasing electricity access is a multidimensional challenge confounded by collinearities. • Population growth has an impact on electricity access rates in rural areas of the Global South. • Electricity consumption has an impact on rural electricity access in Latin American and Caribbean. Electricity plays a fundamental role in sustainable development by facilitating the provision of basic services and improving the quality of life for poor urban and rural populations. The dominant approach to rural electrification research in the Global South has been to focus on economic and social indicators, resulting in a limited understanding of rural electrification. This research diversifies the current literature by including technical and environmental criteria in the analysis of electricity access in rural areas. This paper aims to understand the criteria that have a significant impact on access to electricity in rural areas across the Global South, specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean. This paper examines the influence of multidimensional variables (e.g. social, economic, environmental and technical) on access to electricity in rural areas. This study encompasses two sets of data: the first from a group of countries of the Global South and the second from the Latin American and Caribbean region, using mostly countries with low and middle human development index. To understand the behavior of these multivariable relationships, this paper uses a linear regression methodology and penalizes regression (i.e., LASSO and Ridge). For the countries of the Global South, the model shows a negative correlation between access to electricity in rural areas and population growth rates. For the Latin American and Caribbean countries the model indicates a negative correlation between access to electricity in rural areas and electricity consumption per capita. These results possibly indicate that countries of the Global South that have high population growth rates have challenging paths towards universalizing electricity access, and raise the question if Latin American and Caribbean countries have prioritized their access to electricity agendas in non-rural areas. This paper confirms that population growth rates and electricity consumption per capita are criteria that have a strong impact in access to electricity rates in rural areas of the Global South, and Latin America and the Caribbean, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing burden of cancer represents a substantial problem for Latin America and the Caribbean. Two Lancet Oncology Commissions in 2013 and 2015 highlighted potential interventions that could advance cancer care in the region by overcoming existing challenges. Areas requiring improvement included insufficient investment in cancer control, non-universal health coverage, fragmented health systems, inequitable concentration of cancer services, inadequate registries, delays in diagnosis or treatment initiation, and insufficient palliative services. Progress has been made in key areas but remains uneven across the region. An unforeseen challenge, the COVID-19 pandemic, strained all resources, and its negative effect on cancer control is expected to continue for years. In this Series paper, we summarise progress in several aspects of cancer control since 2015, and identify persistent barriers requiring commitment of additional resources to reduce the cancer burden in Latin America and the Caribbean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 'Development' financing under the SDGs are likely to reproduce racialized extractive peripheries particularly the Caribbean. • Current global configurations remain silent on historical responsibility for uneven and extreme climate-induced consequences. • Climate finance extracts surplus value from racialized areas, create new bondages, and reflect new forms of coloniality. • Climate reparations address the historical inequity due to colonization and new forms of dispossession due to climate change. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a normative framework for external financing that emphasizes stimulating investor interest to address so-called development challenges. However, their underpinnings reflecting continuities of longstanding structural divergence along racial lines when it comes to determinants of finance and uneven climate devastation are not well explored. Additionally, the current global configuration of "billions to trillions" of development finance remains silent on the historical responsibility and continuing coloniality that reproduce uneven and extreme consequences in climate-impacted Caribbean communities. This paper interrogates the role of the SDGs in reproducing racialized peripheries and extracting surplus value from these formerly colonized communities through the use of financial logics and innovative tools. The adoption of the SDGs at the same time of the International Decade of People of African Descent (2015–2024) appears merely coincidental. A lack of concern about climate justice and reparations for historical harms and climate-related losses is evident. This absence highlights the manner in which financial interests are privileged and mobilized in pursuit of high-yielding returns to be made from climate disaster, debt and dispossession. These contradictions usher in a new era of "bond- age " and coloniality that justify reparations for loss and damage facing frontline marginalised communities centred on climate justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Climate Information Service (CIS) uptake is uneven across agro-climatic zones. • Online agro-climatic information are least accessible to farmers. • Age, extension support, and institution membership influence access to CI. • Use of CIS is shaped by gender, climate perception and agronomic factors. • Co-design of CIS can enhance uptake and diffusion. In recent times, the provision of agro-climate services has been elevated as an adaptation policy priority across the Caribbean. Despite strides in such efforts, there is a paucity of research on levels of awareness and use of climate services by farmers. Understanding these nuances can illuminate important pathways for improving climate service uptake and delivery for favourable social and economic development outcomes. In this paper, we used a mixed-method approach to assess the factors influencing climate service uptake among farmers (N = 356) in one of Jamaica's principal agricultural regions, Clarendon. Regression analysis techniques were used to specifically determine the likelihood of farmers' awareness, access and use of locally developed climate services disseminated via TV/radio, climate text message, online farmer bulletin, and community-specific forecast across fifteen (15) social and environmental variables. Eight (8) factors were found to have significant influence on climate service awareness, access, and use (p < 0.05). These include gender, age, access to extension service, participation in groups/organizations, climate change perceptions, non-farm income, farm size, and agronomic conditions. The active use of the climate and weather information was closely linked to farmers' experiential observation of the relevance of the information within their own immediate context. Qualitative case study analyses further highlighted socio-spatial patterns of inequalities in CIS use, being dominated by the younger, more educated demographic. These results highlight potential entry points for increased tailoring of the design and delivery of agro-climate service products for greater effectiveness in climate service delivery. Given the projected impacts of increased climate variability on Caribbean agricultural systems, learning how farmers interact with agro-climate service products can surface opportunities to increase uptake and strengthen resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes renewable energy efficiency in Latin American countries (LAC) and investigates the efficiency convergence. Based on the data of the period 2005–2014, Super-efficient Slack-Based Measure (S–U-SBM) model is applied to measure the total factor efficiency of renewable energy, and Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index (ML) is applied to detect the changing trend of efficiency. The S–U-SBM results show that the average value of the total factor efficiency of renewable energy in LAC is 0.808 and has an upward trend, and for individual country, the efficiency value ranges from 0.262 to 1.302 with an unbalanced development and utilization of renewable energy. The ML results show that the average of the total factor efficiency of renewable energy change index is 1.014, and the technical efficiency change is the main factor that drives the growth of the ML in LAC. For two sub-regions, South America, Central-North America and Caribbean, the main factor is technological progress change and technological efficiency change respectively. There are significant conditional convergences in the total factor efficiency growth of renewable energy in the whole Latin American region and the two sub-regions. Technological innovation is the key for Latin American countries to improve the total factor efficiency of renewable energy at this stage. • This article measures total factor efficiency of renewable energy using S–U-SBM model. • Technical efficiency generate more strong impacts on total factor efficiency. • Convergence test is carried out to explore the differential characteristics of ML growth. • There is significant conditional convergence in Latin American countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is affecting Caribbean nations in a significant manner. Yet there is limited research on the varied effects on these island states and the ways in which adaptation has occurred. This paper introduces the idea of climate justice for the Caribbean region, highlighting a series of papers focused on climate justice concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working through a Caribbean case study, this paper examines the networks and associations of Fair Trade bananas as they move both materially and morally from farms in St Vincent and the Grenadines to supermarkets and households in the United Kingdom. In doing so, the paper provides grounded empirical evidence of Fair Trade’s moral economy as experienced by banana producers in the Caribbean. The paper follows Nancy Fraser’s distinction between ways of framing justice to argue that, in order to transcend its complex postcolonial positionalities, the Fair Trade Foundation needs to include recognition in its moral economy as well as representation and redistribution. The paper compares the moral framework of Fair Trade as an ideology and social movement with the lived experience of certified Fairtrade banana farmers in the Windward Islands who work mostly for , rather than within , an idealized moral economy. The paper also contributes to several recent debates in the agri-food literature exploring the interconnections between production and consumption, the role of materiality in contemporary food networks, the historical and (post)colonial nature of food moralities, and links between political and moral economies of food. Following an outline of recent debates about the moral economies of food and its relation to Fair Trade as a movement, the paper dissects the moral economy of the Fairtrade Foundation, highlighting the historical and geographical, material and symbolic, gendered and generational ways that food producers in the Global South (in this case, banana farmers in St Vincent and the Grenadines) may be counterposed to ‘responsible’ consumers in the Global North. Despite the good intentions of those who promote the Fair Trade movement through the Fairtrade Foundation and the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO), our case study reveals a moral economy of non- (or partial) recognition, which has a range of unintended consequences and paradoxical effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the backdrop of the contemporary crisis of faith in modern reasoning, work on islands and with island cultures has come to the fore in the development of alternative, non-Eurocentric, non-modern, ways of being and knowing. Much attention has surrounded a wide range of critical work associated with the 'ontological' or the 'relational' turn, highlighting interstitial, entangled, post- and more-than-human creative encounters of becoming. This paper examines the emergence of what we call 'abyssal thought', a related but distinctly different analytical approach drawing largely from critical Black studies. Central to abyssal approaches is the understanding of the world as ontologically inseparable from its violent forging through antiblackness. In putting coloniality at the heart of the modernist problematic, abyssal work turns to the Caribbean in particular as a gateway, door or 'punctum', a space of 'abyssal geographies', inviting a deconstruction or unmaking of the world. Exploring how, this paper draws out three key aspects of the abyssal analytic: (1) the abyssal 'subject' forged through the ontological violence of the making of the modern world, (2) the abyssal as a refusal of impositions of spatial and temporal fixities, and (3) the methodological approach of 'paraontology'. Thus, its key concerns are those of refusal, deconstruction and 'suspension' rather than of creative becoming. In distinction to relational ontologies of interstital island work, the desire is not to save or to remake understandings of the human and the world but rather to negate them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ports are essential facilities for the functioning of our globalised economy, as well as for the territories they supply. Monitoring port activity is therefore a relevant way of assessing the economic intensity they generate, and enabling regional analyses of their relative weight, their areas of activity and their development trajectories. However, comparative analysis of port activity is hampered by the variable quality and uneven distribution of the data produced by port authorities, which is far from being homogeneous, which makes comparative approaches difficult. In this paper, using vessel positioning data obtained through the Automatic Identification System (AIS), we propose a method for the extraction, quantification and qualification of port calls. We apply this method to a dataset in the Caribbean, covering the whole of 2019. Our method was able to describe the activity of 101 ports (in the sense of port areas) in the Lesser Antilles, by identifying 171,626 calls and their duration, by 5,907 ships of various type, size, age or flag. A comparison with the statistics published by a number of reference ports authorities and by the UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) shows that the median difference of computed port calls is about 11%, thus validating the proposed approach. By qualifying the type of vessel that passes through port waters, according to its characteristics, this approach based on the number of calls makes it possible to observe the capabilities and the infrastructural quality deployed in the ports in terms of vessels, and, stemming from it, to develop the hypothesis of port vulnerability, that is a perspective for our future work. • A method to extract port calls from AIS data has been developed and implemented. • A careful survey of all quays in the Lesser Antilles allows a great degree of details. • Harbour activity can be characterised by the diversity in the types of vessel calling. • Port call data such as duration or ship age and tonnage enhance traffic understanding. • The volume of computed port calls is validated by comparison against official data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-generated energy supply has been applied as a solution to address the increasing global population, global warming challenges, and the search for alternative sources of renewable and clean energy supply. Regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean have a significant rural population that lacks access to electricity, impeding their development, and increasing unemployment rates. This paper presents a system dynamics model (SD) for assessing the implementation of a solar energy supply chain (SESC), combining the analysis with the national industry's development for the manufacture of solar modules used in the implementation of solar farms and individual solution projects, especially in the non-interconnected zones of Colombia. This case study examines three scenarios in Colombia: national government-implemented solar farm projects; development of national supply chain implementation; and development of the solar energy market. These scenarios are evaluated using performance indicators for supply chain variables, including coverage, diversification, emissions, and job creation. The results indicate that implementing a supply chain and developing solar module production in Colombia can positively impact the proposed indicators, resulting in improvements of 5.9% in coverage, 6.3% in diversification, 6.7% in emission reductions, and 13% in job creation. • A novel model is developed for the solar energy supply chain. • The solar energy supply chain modeled prospectively and sustainably. • Analysis of energy, economic, environmental and social sustainability performance indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper, "Sea level rise under climate change: Implications for beach tourism in the Caribbean" by Spencer, N., Strobl, E. and Campbell, A (Ocean and Coastal Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2022.106207)., extracts a data set of sandy beach systems in 30 island nations in the Caribbean drawn from a much larger data set of sandy beach systems of the world provided by Vousdoukas et al., 2020. This discussion shows that there are significant problems with the quality of the data set on beaches and the assumptions underlying the predicted loss of beach sediment. In turn this will affect the validity of the economic modelling exercise on the potential impact on tourism in the islands. [Display omitted] • Shoreline change data from Vousdoukas et al. (2020) has many inaccuracies. • Potential sandy beach losses are exaggerated because of the use of the Bruun model. • Validity of the output from economic modelling is affected by these issues. • Better quality data can be obtained from individual islands rather than a world data base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate how exogenous shocks affect firms' innovative activities and also uncover the factors that can support and drive firms' innovation during crisis events. We underpin our conceptual framework on the cyclicality and procyclicality theory views and develop a quasi-replication methodology for Paunov's (2012) study, which used survey data collected by the OECD during the 2008–2009 global financial crisis (GFC) from eight Latin American countries (LAC). We use a new dataset covering 13 Caribbean economies (N = 1979), during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Probit regression, we confirm that, like the GFC, the COVID-19 shock led many firms to stop ongoing innovation projects, corroborating Paunov's original findings and the procyclicality theory. Nevertheless, as we step-by-step extend the replication methodology we deviate from the original hypotheses and focus on uncovering which elements can support firms' innovation activities during adverse conditions. In doing so we find that funding was important to support new innovation activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and also that the size of firms' R&D department and their investments in product R&D and process R&D enhanced the development of innovations during this exogenous crisis. • We develop a quasi-replication methodology for Paunov's (2012) study. • We uncover what factors support firms' innovation activities during crisis events. • We find that innovation is a key strategy in response to exogenous shocks. • We underscore the power of replication studies for strategy & innovation research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract With our growing global population, over-consumption of natural resources and concomitant depletion, demands are placed on the scientific community to provide information, including suitable management of coastal ecosystems. However, the nature-society relationship is highly dynamic and complex and requires a framework which can accommodate options. In coastal systems, poor resource management is among the main causes of its degradation. As such, impacts arising from climate change, including sea-level rise, has forced an increase in the demand for sustainable coastal ecosystem science to inform management decisions. The realization of current and future sustainability objectives depends on the development and implementation of coherent strategies on managing dynamic ecosystems for retaining their ability to undergo disturbance, while maintaining their services, functions and control mechanisms. This paper provides a review of the basic assumptions, typical frameworks and methodologies that are adopted for (i) sustainability and sustainable management, (ii) ecosystem services and ecosystem management and (iii) coastal ecosystem management applications in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Finally, limitations for sustainable coastal ecosystem management are discussed and recommendations are made which can inform research in sustainability science. Highlights • The most recent comprehensive review of literature on this topic. • A review of 379 articles. • Creation of a chronological framework to display the evolution of the discipline. • A consideration of the importance of SIDS and the challenges to the application of sustainability science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainties in evaluating bioenergy projects have lead policymakers to adopt a restrictive approach or even refuse to evaluate projects when the available information is limited or a clear perception of its benefits and impact is lacking. Indeed, despite its potential advantages, a bioenergy system poses several conceptual and operational challenges for academic as well as practical scrutiny because the inherent relationship and the intersection of areas related to energy production and agricultural activity requires a deeply integrated assessment. The aim of this paper is to review the available works in this field and propose an approach for supporting policymakers in the taking decision process of deploying sustainable bioenergy systems. The SIByl-LACAf framework provides a comprehensive framework for addressing the inherent complexity of the subject and its sustainability and acceptability as part of the evaluation process. With this approach, different and complementary evaluation methods are reviewed and set in a logical and sequential structure to draw a group of indicators used for assessing a given project with the help of a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) matrix. When acceptability is identified as an issue, a Public Consultation and Communication (PC&C) scheme can complement this process. The suggested application for Mozambique indicate that an acceptable outcome is possible even when considering the data requirements and constraints of developing countries. Thus, the potential of this integrated approach outweighs such limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central America and the Caribbean, at the northern limit of the Neotropical region, is made up of a narrow strip of land and numerous islands, with a complex geological history, represents an important biogeographic connection between North and South America and contains diverse freshwater environments, including high mountain and lowlands lakes and wetlands. We examined literature reports and databases for freshwater planktonic, benthic and littoral Rotifera and microcrustacea distribution in the area in order to update, unify and summarize disparate information that has accumulated since Collado et al.'s initial contribution in 1984 that listed 369 specific and infraspecific taxa. We used the most common databases and keywords to locate papers on Rotifera, Cladocera, Ostracoda and Copepoda and found 457 new records from more than 200 study sites that list 92 genera and 782 species, as well as over 30 infraspecific taxa, for the region. These included 84%, 53%, 37% and 21% respectively, of known neotropical species of these groups. Analysis using the Sorensen-Dice Similarity Index showed high heterogeneity in species composition for the area and hierarchical clustering suggests three groups for the Caribbean islands. Lack of resources has hindered the formal publication of research. We conclude that a collaborative effort is needed to produce scientists capable of combining taxonomic information with ecological studies to enhance understanding of anthropogenic impacts on water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the diversification of the Neotropical mangrove flora from the Miocene to the present, using a fairly comprehensive database of 110 pollen records distributed across the whole Caribbean region. A Neogene-Quaternary diversification trend (NQDT) has been identified, characterized by an increase of 25 genera (∼78%) with respect to the 7 already existing Paleogene representatives. Only two genera appeared during the Miocene and the maximum increases were observed in the Pliocene-Quaternary transition and the modern-living record. Half of the true-mangrove genera (Rhizophora, Pelliciera, Acrostichum) were already present before the Neogene and the others appeared gradually in the Oligo-Miocene (Crenea), the Early-Middle Miocene (Avicennia) and the Mio-Pliocene (Laguncularia). None of the extant associate mangrove genera were present during the Paleogene and all appeared in the Miocene (23 genera) or the Oligo-Miocene transition (3 genera), being the main responsible for the NQDT, in absolute numbers. No regional extinctions were recorded since the Miocene in the Caribbean mangroves, at the generic level. These observations should be complemented with further high-resolution quantitative studies aimed at finding potential causal relationships with climatic, eustatic and paleogeographical shifts. • Metaanalysis of 110 Neogene to present Caribbean mangrove pollen records. • ∼80% of the genera appeared during the Neogene-Quaternary diversification trend (NQDT). • True mangrove elements (mangrove-forming trees) were already present in the Miocene. • Associate mangrove genera were the main responsible for the NQDT. • No extinctions (genera) and maximum diversification in the Pliocene-Quaternary transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solar panels can become a major generator of clean energy by 2050. • Few studies have assessed solar panels' structural vulnerability. • We develop the first data-driven fragility functions for solar panels. • We utilize panel data after Hurricanes Irma, Maria, and Dorian for the analysis. • We find that the panels' structural performance is below code requirements. Solar generation can become a major and global source of clean energy by 2050. Nevertheless, few studies have assessed its resilience to extreme events, and none have used empirical data to characterize the fragility of solar panels. This paper develops fragility functions for rooftop and ground-mounted solar panels calibrated with solar panel structural performance data in the Caribbean for Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and Hurricane Dorian in 2019. After estimating the hurricane wind fields, we follow a Bayesian approach to estimate fragility functions for rooftop and ground-mounted panels based on the observations supplemented with existing numerical studies on solar panel vulnerability. Next, we apply the developed fragility functions to assess failure rates due to hurricane hazards in Miami-Dade, Florida, highlighting that the panels perform below the code requirements, especially rooftop panels. We also illustrate that strength increases can improve the panels' structural performance effectively. However, strength increases by a factor of two still cannot meet the reliability stated in the code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dispersion of microplastics (MPs) in coastal and marine environments and their potential harmful effects on organisms and ecosystems makes MPs pollution an emerging problem that has gained increasing attention from the scientific community. Despite the recent increase in the number of studies on MPs presence in different marine environments, investigations in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are still relatively limited. This review presents the spatial distribution (where) and the methods applied (how) in assessing MPs contamination on LAC sandy beaches, identifying the challenges to be faced in advancing the understanding of this emerging contaminant. Most of the 39 papers reviewed were published between 2020 and 2021 (51%) and conducted on Brazilian beaches (43%). The LAC investigations apply spot sampling (69%) on shoreline stretches between 10 and 1000 km (59%). These works used inconsistent sampling methods, incomparable techniques for MPs extraction from sediments, and different measurement units to report their data. The MPs presence on LAC beaches is not negligible, as it varies significantly in its distribution and concentration (0–2457 MP/dw kg and 0–5458 MP/m2). Its highest accumulation is on ocean island beaches; however, there are still large stretches of coastline (Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina) with no data on MPs presence and a small number of studies exploring these contaminants' temporal variability. The lack of standardization in the studies' methodologies, particularly their measurement units, hinders their quantitative comparison and our ability to establish baseline values regarding MPs abundance on LAC beaches. In this sense, future works should direct efforts towards the spatial and temporal expansion of their sampling, as well as protocol standardization to facilitate result comparability on MPs on LAC sandy beaches. [Display omitted] • A comprehensive literature review of microplastics on beaches in Latin America and Caribbean. • Microplastic abundance ranges from 0 to 2457 MP/dw kg. • Large extensions of coastline lack studies, and few evaluate temporal variability. • Evaluation of natural and anthropic variables is useful to understand MP data. • Wide variety of methods are used - standardization of protocols is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a compilation of 16 present-day stress tensors along the southern Caribbean plate boundary zone (PBZ), and particularly in western and along northern Venezuela. As a trial, these new stress tensors along PBZ have been calculated from inversion of 125 focal mechanism solutions (FMS) by applying the Angelier & Mechler's dihedral method, which were originally gathered by the first author and published in 2005. These new tensors are compared to those 59 tensors inverted from fault-slip data measured only in Plio-Quaternary sedimentary rocks, compiled in Audemard et al. (2005), which were originally calculated by several researchers through the inversion methods developed by Angelier and Mechler or Etchecopar et al. The two sets of stress tensors, one derived from geological data and the other one from seismological data, compare very well throughout the PBZ in terms of both stress orientation and shape of the stress tensor. This region is characterized by a compressive strike-slip (transpressional senso lato ), occasionally compressional, regime from the southern Mérida Andes on the southwest to the gulf of Paria in the east. Significant changes in direction of the maximum horizontal stress (σ H = σ 1 ) can be established along it though. The σ 1 direction varies progressively from nearly east-west in the southern Andes (SW Venezuela) to between NW-SE and NNW-SSE in northwestern Venezuela; this direction remaining constant across northern Venezuela, from Colombia to Trinidad. In addition, the σ V defined by inversion of focal mechanisms or by the shape of the stress ellipsoid derived from the Etchecopar et al.'s method better characterize whether the stress regime is transpressional or compressional, or even very rarely trantensional at local scale. The orientation and space variation of this regional stress field in western Venezuela results from the addition of the two major neighbouring interplate maximum horizontal stress orientations (σ H ): roughly east-west trending stress across the Nazca-South America type-B subduction along the pacific coast of Colombia and NNW-SSE oriented one across the southern Caribbean PBZ. Meanwhile, northern Venezuela, although dextral strike-slip (SS) is the dominant process, NW-SE to NNW-SSE compression is also taking place, which are both also supported by recent GPS results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the influence of market accessibility on hotel prices and how this influence is moderated by various quality-signaling factors, such as online user ratings, “thumbs up” (recommendation) percentage, hotel class, and chain affiliation. Using a randomized sample of hotels in the Caribbean islands, we employ a three-level mixed-effect linear regression model to investigate the plausible relationship between market accessibility and hotel prices. After controlling for unobserved island-level and hotel-level characteristics, the model indicates that in most periods, low market accessibility (high flight costs) leads to lower hotel prices, and this influence is mitigated by well-established positive reputations as represented by the quality-signaling factors. Our findings imply that hotels should work to increase their reputations to help buffer the impacts of inaccessibility. In an effort to increase market accessibility, one course of action is to reduce airport landing taxes and fees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

History has shown that hurricanes can cause catastrophic destruction and impede economic growth in the Caribbean. Nevertheless, there is essentially as of date no comprehensive quantitative risk and anticipated loss assessment for the region. In this paper we use synthetic hurricane tracks and local income proxies to estimate expected risk and losses if a climate similar to the last 30 years prevails. We show that on average, the annual fraction of expected property damage and subsequent impacts on income are nonnegligible, with large variations across islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transshipment hubs are perhaps the most critical component in container shipping networks. Transshipment enables traffic consolidation and the related scale economies in ship size, rationalization of shipping routes and adjustment of ship capacity to traffic density, and expanding the number of ports covered by the shipping network. This paper provides an assessment of the current state of transshipment with a particular reference to the potential impacts of the expansion of the Panama Canal on this activity in the Caribbean basin. While US East Coast ports are expecting an increase in the size of ships deployed on the through-Panama services following the Canal expansion from the current Panamax to post-Panamax ships, it is argued that substituting direct calling by feedering and expanded transshipment activities in Caribbean hubs is more likely. This transformation in service pattern will be gradual, however. In the first period after the expansion the present direct calling is expected to continue, since post-Panamax ships initially deployed on through-Panama services will not differ much than those on through-Suez services already calling the US. The transformation will take place mainly in the second period, 5 to 10 years after the expansion, when larger ships, defined as New Panamax (NPX), which cannot be efficiently handled by US East Coast ports, will be deployed. Accordingly, a substantial growth in transshipment in the Caribbean Region will take place especially during the second period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Experimental study of four low-cost DIY overheating strategies on full-scale test cells. • A recycled Tetrapak Insulation board system (TI) shows best mitigation results for less than 1€/m2 of total cost. • A validated simulation model is applied to eight Latin America & Caribbean cities on present and future climate scenario. • The hottest cities show the better results combining TI with a scheduled natural ventilation. • An instruction manual to build and install the TI strategy is compiled. Over one billion of the world's population live in slum houses (SHs), mostly self-built. Due to their poor construction and lack of mechanical cooling in hot regions, SHs are particularly vulnerable to overheating and ongoing climate change. This paper presents the overheating mitigation results of four selected DIY low-cost roof upgrades for a typical SH in Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC) to allow residents self-improvement. This study evaluates two insulation techniques and two natural ventilation devices, namely: a recycled Tetra Pak insulation board (TI), a radiant barrier, a cylindrical chimney, and a solar chimney, using a combination of experimental and numerical approaches that allow for increased reliability of the results, and widespread assessment of the impacts of the proposed strategies in several LAC locations under current and predicted future climates (2050). The results appointed the TI insulation combined with scheduled natural ventilation, as the most effective mitigation strategy, for less than 1€/m2, reaching a maximum improvement in the hottest cities of 3.1 °C of indoor operative temperature with an increased effect up to 3.3 °C in the 2050 scenario. Finally, this overheating mitigation solution is presented with an instruction manual to build and install it as an affordable SH upgrade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few events have had an impact as the global crisis caused by COVID-19. However, prior to the pandemic, Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries already had severe problems in terms of inequality, environmental degradation, and dysfunctional political systems. Added to this are the growing challenges that climate change poses for this highly vulnerable region. This historic turning point represents a new call to consider future studies to re-imagine and reinvent alternative futures for the LAC region. For this paper, we conducted an in-depth qualitative futures study to identify how Latin American and Caribbean countries could build long-term resilience, focusing on adaptability to climate change risks, considering existing sustainable development challenges and the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic, environmental, and social aspects. This study's findings provide recommendations for policymakers and decision-makers to achieve sustainable futures for LAC. Finally, it reflects on the value of collective action for a future-proof region. • Latin America and the Caribbean have long experienced inequality, environmental degradation, and dysfunctional political institutions. • Climate change poses growing economic, social, political, technological, and environmental challenges for this highly vulnerable region. • Latin American and Caribbean countries can address sustainable development challenges by focusing on adaptiveness to climate change risks. • A future-proof region requires collaborative and orchestrated action from governments, academics, businesses, and civil society. • Regenerative and inclusive futures for Latin America and the Caribbean require aligning dissimilar efforts toward common sustainable goals. • Futures studies have the potential to identify how Latin American and Caribbean countries can build long-term resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Value chains are an increasingly popular approach to understanding complex policy challenges in agricultural development. However, value chain research and development has often been too narrowly focused on the structural elements of production, resulting in lack of adaptive capacity. Drawing on the concept of communities of practice, this paper seeks to operationalize an understanding of how the social relations that underpin smallholder-related value chains can be better supported to enhance resilience. Case studies from the Caribbean are then used to illustrate how a community of practice approach to value chain development might facilitate the formation of social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Good governance is widely seen as a prerequisite for effective natural resources management in the context of environmental decline and increasing anthropogenic pressures. Few studies quantitatively examine governance principles, or explore links between perceptions of community members and the governance that shapes their behaviour. Comparative work, spanning multiple sites and contexts, is rare. This paper measures community members’ perceptions of governance in twelve coral reef-dependent communities across four countries in the Wider Caribbean Region. In relation to established principles of ‘good governance’, multiple correspondence analysis indicates that perceptions can be reliably described using two themes, institutional acceptance and engagement. These explain over 50% of variation in individual perceptions. These measurable themes provide an indication of the social fit of governance arrangements, and have implications for expected outcomes, including support for management and compliance with regulations. Cluster analysis provides unique empirical evidence linking structural characteristics of governance to community perceptions; four of five good governance indicators were present in communities with positive perceptions. Results suggest a combination of supportive structures and processes are necessary to achieve governance systems positively perceived by community members. Findings are relevant to those seeking to design management systems and governance structures that are appropriate to local circumstances and will engender stakeholder support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International environmental policy has evolved from a focus on single issues to more integrated approaches under the framework of sustainable development. This transition has been accompanied by a growing use of targets among international organisations. Targets have long been used in industry and corporate planning, but some have questioned their relevance in the ambit of environmental and sustainable development policy. This paper addresses the question of whether international targets help advance environmental policy integration in international governance. It explores whether the international target of significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2002, enabled co-ordination and coherence in international biodiversity governance. The effects of the Target on the cluster of biodiversity-related conventions and their implementation in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are examined. The analysis is based on official documents and interviews with secretariat officials, international experts and national focal points conducted between September 2011 and April 2012. A claim is made that the 2010 Biodiversity Target was, in essence, a conservation goal that did not fully honour the CBD's sustainable development mission. The Target triggered increased co-operation in the biodiversity cluster without bringing greater alignment of policies and implementation activities around the CBD's sustainability principles. The study suggests that, if targets are to advance EPI among international institutions, they need to be appropriated by relevant stakeholders and supported by implementation strategies that secure their continuous commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both the Caribbean and Nazca plates subduct beneath northwestern South America. The configuration of the two subducted slabs and the nature of any interaction between them has long been a matter of debate. Based on the location of intermediate-depth seismicity and active and extinct volcanism, as well as on seismic imaging, several different tectonic scenarios have been proposed. In this paper, we use teleseismic data recorded by the Colombian National Network and the temporary CARMA array in Venezuela and Colombia to produce a finite-frequency tomography model for the region. Our results show several distinct subduction segments. Through synthetic tests, we show that our results require a zone of overlap between Nazca and Caribbean subduction north of the "Caldas Tear" as has been proposed by previous studies. Additionally, we find that the Bucaramanga Nest occurs within the Caribbean Plate and coincides with bending of the slab in two planes, where both the strike and the dip of the slab change. We infer that elevated stresses are an important factor in producing the very high rates of seismicity in the nest. • Teleseismic tomography illuminates the geometry of subduction in NW South America. • There is a zone of overlap between Caribbean and Nazca subduction. • The offset at the Caldas Tear corresponds to seismicity in two different slabs. • The Bucaramanga Nest occurs within the Caribbean Plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The proposition of transition cycles for a low-carbon economy based on human development and climate action. • A climate justice index in line with the United Nations' concepts of sustainable development. • A climate justice index that benchmarks nations with the same level of economic development. • The proposed index can help policy-makers and national government to identify synergy between climate actions and human development policies. Since the climate change context is increasingly the focus of decision-makers, indices capable of helping them in the transition to a low-carbon economy are considered necessary. Therefore, the objective of this work is to propose an index of climate justice that includes factors of human development and climate action. The index was developed using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique and, in this study, assessed the climate justice of 198 nations. After the calculation, statistical analysis was used to compare the climate justice of the aforementioned countries, grouped by level of development and geographical location. The results obtained were: a) there is currently no nation that fully guarantees climate justice to its population; b) there is a difference in the performance of climate justice between the Annex I, Non-Annex I and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) groups; c) nations located in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Eastern Europe are similar in terms of climate justice index performance. The main contribution of this paper is in the fact that the proposed index can help policy-makers and national governments to define climate and development policies, creating a synergy between such policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the factors that affect network connectivity and competitiveness in the European Union and Latin America/Caribbean air transport market. The methodology is based on detailed real origin and destination data that allow the calculation of levels of market concentration and segmentation, airport connectivity and network efficiency. The bilateral markets analyzed compare unfavourably with other inter-continental markets, even though the economic growth of the countries involved would suggest otherwise. The market is dominated by a small number of airports and airlines, and connectivity in several Latin American and Caribbean states is over-dependent on tourism. Geographic factors can partially explain the situation identified, while the impact of policy, especially as regards the fragmented moves towards liberalisation, is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caribbean economies depend heavily on a healthy marine ecosystem, but the region includes ten of the top global marine polluters per capita. Regional marine pollution is driven by illegal plastic waste dumping due to poor waste management systems with limited recycling, and weak enforcement. Governments recognize the impacts of marine debris on their social and economic well-being and have responded with policies to curb plastic pollution. Most focus on bans of single-use plastic and polystyrene, which comprises ~80% of Caribbean marine litter. However, there is little comparative analysis of policy responses to determine their efficacy. This paper reviews current policies in 13 English-speaking Caribbean countries, exploring tools used and process of implementation. Eleven have introduced legislative policies, with seven including fines and penalties for non-compliance. All successful policies involve multiple tools, including primary stakeholder engagement, sufficient lead time between policy announcement and implementation, and extensive public education campaigns. Unlabelled Image • Caribbean plastic marine pollution caused by illegal dumping, weak enforcement, and poor waste management systems. • Policy responses to reduce single-use plastic marine pollution in the Caribbean assessed. • Eleven Caribbean countries introduced legislative policies, with seven including fines and penalties for non-compliance. • Most policy responses focus on bans on single-use plastic and polystyrene. • Successful policies involve stakeholder engagement, sufficient policy lead time, and extensive public education campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Caribbean nation of Suriname has historically depended on a mix of hydropower and oil-based fossil fuels for meeting electricity needs. Continued reliance on fossil fuels poses challenges both for climate change mitigation and for energy security. This paper explores the potential for increasing the share of renewables in Suriname's electricity mix, with a special focus on the complementary role of existing hydropower and future wind power infrastructure. We show that these resources have great synergetic potential for displacing fossil fuel-based power generation. Flexible operation of the Afobaka hydropower plant, newly in full possession of Suriname, allows significant wind power integration without violating grid stability and associated power quality requirements. Considering the trade-off between displacing expensive fossil fuels and limiting wind power curtailment on Suriname's island-like grid, our results suggest that integrating wind power in the Surinamese electricity mix is economically advantageous up to a share of 20–30%, independently of near-term demand growth. These results have wider relevance for climate policy in various Caribbean countries and other island states with existing hydropower infrastructure and substantial wind/solar power potential, for which this study fills an important literature gap. • Suriname's hydropower plant can support substantial grid integration of wind power. • Thermal power could be cost-effectively displaced by hydro-supported wind power. • Suriname could, on average, reach 20%–30% penetration of hydro-supported wind power. • Such strategies could benefit various island states and regions with isolated grids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper first provides, for Latin America and the Caribbean, country-specific synthetic quantitative measures of the degree of adoption of governance reforms in the electricity sector, focusing on four key dimensions (market structure, private sector participation (PSP), regulatory autonomy and operational organization). These measures are then correlated with standard policy performance outcomes measures. The findings suggest that, the reforms, considered jointly, were statistically significantly associated with higher technical and process quality but not with social or service improvements. Considered individually, increased regulatory autonomy enjoyed the highest positive correlation with desirable outcomes, but PSP has no significant correlation with any of the outcomes. In sum, as of 2018, governance reforms, considered jointly, had still not delivered on some promised payoffs, notably in addressing energy poverty, although the sensitivity analysis suggests that, for some indicators, the relationships are stronger for larger than for smaller countries. • Governance reforms are statistically associated with higher technical and process quality. • But they are not associated with social or service improvements. • Excessive reform standardization failed to address country specificities well enough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in oceanic circulation and productivity patterns near Central America have been explained using numerous different tools, such as tectonics, geochemistry and micropaleontology. This paper aims to contribute to this discussion through the study of dinoflagellates and palynofacies in the drill core from DSDP Site 153. Based on foraminiferal data, the studied section is divided into the middle and upper Miocene, and our dinoflagellate events also support an age model of ~15 to 8 Ma. IndVal, ecological indexes, and the (P/G) dinoflagellate ratios were used to develop paleoenvironmental inferences. The indicator species are Operculodinium centrocarpum and Tectatodinium pellitum for the MM1 interval, Spiniferites spp. and Impagidinium strialatum for MM2, and Selenopemphix armageddonensis , Lejeunecysta spp. and L. tenella for UM3. Intervals MM1 and MM2 are characterized by a dominance of gonyaulacoids, and inner to outer neritic environments. The UM3 interval is interpreted as an outer neritic environment in the base/middle portion, and inner neritic in the uppermost part, with a shift from gonyaulacoid to peridinioid dominance, suggesting an increase in productivity. During the middle Miocene, productivity is low due to intermittent marine circulation restrictions in the Caribbean Sea, and there is a slight increase during the upper Miocene following reestablishment of the global oceanic circulation. This is directly connected to the occurrence of geotectonic and paleoceanographic events in the region during the Miocene, mainly by mass movements such as the Panama gateway and the opening of the Pedro Channel to the north, changing the surface conditions in the Caribbean Sea. • Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the central Caribbean during the Miocene. • Stratigraphic distribution of middle to late Miocene dinoflagellates. • Indicator species analysis, ecological indexes and dinoflagellate ratio (P/G). • Autotrophic dominance in the middle Miocene, and heterotrophic in the upper Miocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Guatemala, assessment of the impacts of microplastic pollution in marine and coastal protected areas has not yet been carried out. Therefore, the main goal of this paper was to evaluate the abundance, composition, physical forms, and the possible sources of plastic debris in the El Quetzalito Beach. The area was intended for biodiversity conservation but has been excessively contaminated by plastic materials from land-based activities. The results state that plastic debris negatively impact the Caribbean coast of Guatemala and are released by storm water and riverine transport from the Motagua River. With a high abundance of 279 items/m2 (30 items/kg d.w.), composed mainly of polystyrene foam beads (66.8%) and polypropylene fragments (25.8%), the microplastic sources are the deterioration of large plastics. As these plastics are commonly used in industrial, commercial, fishing, and household activities, these findings reinforce the need to improve effective sustainable management actions of solid waste treatment and disposal in the Guatemalan cities. • Microplastic pollution on the sand of the El Quetzalito beach was characterized. • Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy technique were applied. • A high concentration of 279 items/m2 (composed mainly by secondary MPs) were found. • Foam was the most abundant form observed (64.5%). • Polystyrene, polypropylene and polyethylene were the main polymers found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper details the process by which the Caribbean island of Barbuda created comprehensive marine spatial planning regulations. The Barbuda Council (the island's governing body), with invited support from the Waitt Institute, navigated complex tradeoffs between spatial uses to design and legally codify zoning for their entire marine jurisdiction. After a year of intensive community engagement under this Blue Halo Initiative, regulations were adopted in August 2014 that established zones for sanctuaries, fish net prohibitions, anchoring/mooring, and shipping. Key data used included a habitat map and a heatmap of fishing value. Barbudans designed all zones, with technical support, using the software program SeaSketch. Throughout the process, the Council incorporated input from fishers and other community members, seeking a final zoning design that would minimize negative impacts on livelihoods and earn broad community support. The final zoning plan balances economic, conservation, and cultural uses. It includes thirteen zones and meets the pre-agreed goals of protecting one-third of the waters overall and approximately one-third of each habitat type. The consultation process included seven community consultation meetings, five fisher consultation meetings, and two meetings of a stakeholder committee. The initiative is now in the implementation phase, however Hurricane Irma devastated Barbuda in September 2017, creating substantial challenges for ongoing implementation. Overall lessons learned include the importance of being flexible and transparent, considering enforcement from the outset, building political will through documenting stakeholder and expert perspectives, and not allowing a pursuit of unanimous agreement to hinder progress. • Barbuda conducted marine spatial planning for its entire marine jurisdiction. • 33% of Barbuda's waters are now protected, including approximately one-third of each habitat type. • There are four zone types that balance economic, conservation, and cultural uses. • Key data used to inform zoning included a habitat map and a heatmap of fishing value. • Barbudans drew all zones during twelve months of community consultations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold-seep chemosynthetic communities are found in patchy areas where methane and other hydrocarbons leak through the seafloor. Although relatively common in continental margins, chemosynthetic communities in the Caribbean region are poorly known. Their existence in Colombian waters has been suggested by the presence of carbonates and specimens of seep- specialist families obtained through trawling surveys, and seismic and multi-beam data. Habitat models incorporating bathymetry and backscatter data have also predicted the presence of hard ground areas (presumed authigenic carbonates formed due to chemosynthetic activity), which are consistent with water column plume anomalies. Here, we present the first characterization of the megafauna found in cold-seep communities in the Colombian Caribbean between 2300 and 3300 m using seafloor images taken with a towed camera system and samples collected through piston coring. Chemosynthetic communities at these sites resemble those found off Trinidad and Tobago and the Gulf of Mexico. Dominant species include tubeworms (Lamellabranchia sp. and Escarpia sp.), mussels (Bathymodiolus sp.), shrimp (Alvinocaris sp.), and squat lobsters (Munidopsis sp.). These results represent foundational knowledge of deep-sea ecosystems in the southern Caribbean. • Include 3 to 5 bullet points (maximum 85 characters, including spaces, per bullet point). • First characterization of cold-seep communities in the Colombian Caribbean. • Image and piston core assessment at 2300–3300 m deep. • Dominant species include tubeworms, mussels, shrimp, and squat lobsters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sperm whales live in culture-based multilevel societies in which the fundamental social level is the nearly permanent social unit of females and immature individuals, and the largest level is the clan constituted by social units that share a common coda repertoire. This study describes the coda repertoire and vocal clans of sperm whales in Brazilian waters recorded between 2011 and 2016. Inter-click intervals of codas were used to quantify similarity between repertoires. The analysis showed two evident clans, in the north and the south, distinct in their repertoires. The clan of the north, termed the "5R" clan, presented a predominant production of codas containing five regularly spaced clicks, not found in the clan of the south, termed "D" clan, which repertoire was dominated by long codas with 10–13 clicks with descending inter-click intervals. Codas with five regularly spaced clicks with the same rhythm and tempo as those found in the "5R" clan of Brazil are also predominant in sperm whales recorded in the Island of Dominica, at a distance of approximately 2700 km from the north of Brazil, which corresponds to the extension of the areas of sympatric clans. The sharing of 5R type by the both distinct clans is likely the result of cultural transmission in which conformism through social learning homogenizes coda repertoire. The results of this study corroborated the hypothesis that social boundaries, here the clan level, are maintained by cultural identities. • Sperm whales from western Atlantic Ocean off Brazil have distinct coda repertoires. • North of the equator, vocalisations of the "5R" clan contained predominantly 5R codas. • A southern "D" clan at 29°-34°S emitted longer codas with descending patterns. • The northern 5R codas showed affinities to whale populations of the Caribbean. • Vocalisation data provide evidence of at least two different cultural identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]