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The present paper analyzes the main more indexed divergent elements among three of the integrated assessment models in the literature about climate change: the RICE (Regional Dynamic Integrated model of Climate and the Economy), the FUND (Climate Framework for Uncertainty, Negotiation and Distribution) and the PAGE (Policy Analysis of the Greenhouse Effect). The research shows how each one of them approaches core topics of the integrated assessment of the climate change (the adaptation, the impacts, the uncertainty, the extreme events and discontinuities) from different edges and points of view, arriving to a heterogeneity in the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caribbean economies, lifestyles, activities, practices and operational cycles are intricately linked to climate, making them vulnerable to its variations and/or changes. As examples, climate extremes impact agriculture, fisheries, health, tourism, water availability, recreation, and energy usage, among other things. There is however limited incorporation of climate information in the long term developmental plans and policies of the region. This is in part due to a knowledge deficit about climate change, it's likely manifestation in the region and the possible impact on Caribbean societies. In this paper, a review of the growing bank of knowledge about Caribbean climate science; variability and change is undertaken. Insight is offered into the basic science of climate change, past trends and future projections for Caribbean climate, and the possible implications for the region. In the end a case is made for a greater response to the threats posed by climate change on the basis of the sufficiency of our current knowledge of Caribbean climate science. A general profile of what the response may look like is also offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]