In the pursuit of analysing Mia Mottley, it is useful to reflect on the turning point that made her reconsider her courses of action. The following section explains the event that shaped the way she tackles the climate needs of her country.
The defining moment used in the analysis of this report is the COVID-19 pandemic, which had notable consequences on Barbados’s economy. The fiscal surplus of 3.7% of GDP in the 2019/2020 fiscal year turned into a fiscal deficit of 0.2% of GDP in the middle of 2020/2021 fiscal year.
Moreover, the effects of the pandemic on global policy made her realise that the way her country dealt with its economic policies needed to change. The pandemic, as in other countries, forced the Barbadian economy to largely shut down. Fishing, agriculture and tourism were halted, giving Mottley a preview of the effects that the disappearance of these sectors could have on the economy.
These same sectors are directly vulnerable to climate change, given that they rely on the natural resources of the country. For instance, globally, climate change has led to declining fish stocks and reduced agricultural yields. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that fish stocks are overfished, with 34.2% of global fish stocks below sustainable levels. Similarly, agricultural productivity has been threatened by changing precipitation patterns and extreme weather events.
Barbados’ First National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (2001) highlights changes in rainfall patterns, especially with regard to dry spells. These prolonged dry spells have serious implications for Barbados’ limestone aquifer recharge by rainwater, which in turn has a negative impact on the sugar cane crop in terms of both quantity and quality. Moreover, as the atmospheric temperature rises it leads to alteration of soil temperatures that restrain growth and development of local crops. This, combined with severe droughts and floods, pose great challenges to Barbados’s agricultural sector.
For example, there has been a decrease in germination of some vegetables due to higher soil temperatures over recent years. In 2009, an extended drought set in during the dry season which worried farmers. This was followed by tropical Storm Tomas that hit Barbados in October 2010, causing flooding and financial losses for more than 230 farmers whose fields were waterlogged, making their crops unharvestable. Thousands of dollars worth of crops and seedlings were destroyed. The aftermath showed not only damage to crops and livestock, but infrastructure too. Carrot growers reported increased occurrence of soil fungus, resulting from excessively hot weather conditions during that year, which had as a consequence a reduction in yields .
Mottley realised that the next event to stop her economy would not be a pandemic but climate change. If changes were not made soon, Barbados would face the same issues it did during the pandemic, but for much longer periods, not just a year. This realisation drove her to implement policies to pivot her country toward a more sustainable economy. This was something she highlighted in her speeches.
This defining moment is supported by the argument that as the pandemic progressed, the economy suffered much more from the consequences of relying on sectors such as tourism. A 2019 report from the Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs & Investment of Barbados states that Accommodation and Food Services accounted for 15.1% of the country’s real GDP, reaching a value of $1,379.8 million. Understanding this dependency underscored the urgency to diversify and implement sustainable economic policies to safeguard against future disruptions, particularly those driven by climate change.
Additionally, the drop in tourism contributed to an unemployment rate of up to 40%, with 33,000 applications for unemployment subsidies, 31% of which came from people who worked in hotels and restaurants.
This is why, since that moment of deep recession, the goal was to repair the damages of the economy as a consequence of Covid-19, while including the transformations needed to achieve inclusive growth and sustainable development which is the way to achieve reduction of poverty, and accelerate investments in renewable energy, digitalization and electricity development to achieve economic and employment recovery.
Having understood the stake of Mia Mottley and her defining moment, the next section will provide an explanation of the most important policies undertaken by the Prime Minister. Starting with the Bridgetown initiative, which proposes a reform of existing institutions to finance climate resilience, followed by the Blue Economy implemented in Barbados, which, according to the World Bank, is a sustainable way of using natural resources for economic growth while improving livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health. Lastly, the Roofs to Reefs program, which is the national resilience plan for climate change.
IExRAIA Summer Research Program:
This article is an excerpt from a report about Mia Mottley produced as part of an RAIA research program on climate leaders. For a full picture of Mottley’s climate leadership, read the full report. This project was fully financed by IE University’s IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs.
Authors: Africa Romero and Sofia Damasio Figuereido
Editor: Roxane de Bervegin
Project Lead: Francia Morales
