Guest Contributor
Global climate science met Caribbean reality in a gathering that carried both symbolic and scientific weight, in Nassau last week.
More than 200 scientists from nearly 90 countries convened for the Second Lead Author Meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II—the body responsible for assessing global knowledge on climate impacts, adaptation and vulnerability.
Held from 18 to 22 May 2026, the meeting marked a key milestone in the development of the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), which will underpin future international climate negotiations and policy decisions.
The location was historic.
For the first time, the Bahamas—and the wider Caribbean region— hosted an IPCC author meeting, placing small island realities at the centre of a process that has long shaped global climate understanding from afar.
Opening the meeting, Prime Minister of the Bahamas Philip Davis, referenced Hurricane Dorian, which devastated the country in 2019: “For us, climate change is not an abstract concept. It is here. It is present. It is personal.” For small island states, he added, “adaptation is not optional. It is essential.”
Prof Winston Chow, co-chair of IPCC Working Group II, said the setting reinforced the purpose of the science: “Being hosted by a small island state is a reminder to us that the science assessment we produce has direct consequences for communities on the frontlines of climate change.”
Among those present was Dr Adelle Thomas, a Bahamian climate scientist and Vice Chair of Working Group II. Alongside her, fifteen Caribbean nationals now sit within the AR7 WGII author team—the highest regional representation to date—signalling a growing shift in who helps shape global climate knowledge.
Five T&T scientists in the process
Trinidad and Tobago accounts for five of those 15 Caribbean contributors—four Lead or Coordinating Lead Authors and one Review Editor - in a highly competitive selection process.
The 664 AR7 authors were chosen by the IPCC Bureau from 3,771 nominations submitted by governments and observer organisations, based on scientific expertise, regional balance, gender representation and disciplinary diversity.
At the centre of the Small Islands chapter (Chapter 13) is Dr Shobha Maharaj, serving as Coordinating Lead Author—the most senior role in a chapter team. Her elevation from Lead Author in the previous assessment reflects both her scientific standing and the growing recognition of Caribbean expertise in global climate science.
She is joined in the same chapter by two Trinidadian lead authors. Dr Jahson Alemu I, a marine socio-ecologist, brings expertise on coral reefs, coastal systems and marine vulnerability—critical issues for small island states facing rising ocean pressures.
Dr Denyse S Dookie, of the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics, focuses on how climate information is used in decision-making, bridging the gap between science and policy.
In Chapter 6 on Finance, Dr Preeya Mohan of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), UWI St Augustine, examines one of the most persistent issues in climate diplomacy: the gap between promised climate finance and actual delivery to vulnerable nations.
Completing the Trinidad and Tobago representation is Dr Kalim Shah, who serves as Review Editor on Chapter 4 (Adaptation Options), ensuring that expert comments are fully addressed during the review process—a key safeguard of scientific integrity.
Beyond Nassau: A Longer Process
While Nassau marks an important milestone, it is only one step in a multi-year process. Working Group II authors will now develop the first-order draft, which will be opened for global expert review, including participation from researchers and institutions in Trinidad and Tobago.
Further drafting and review rounds will follow, with the Working Group II report expected for approval around 2028. The full AR7 Synthesis Report is anticipated by late 2029.
For the T&T scientists involved, Nassau represents not an endpoint but the beginning of an extended scientific process that will help shape global climate policy for years to come.
T&T in the Mitigation Space
Trinidad and Tobago’s contribution extends beyond adaptation science.
In Working Group III, which focuses on mitigation, Dr Randy Ramadhar Singh, Energy Transition Specialist and researcher in Sustainable Energy at UWI St Augustine, serves as Lead Author on Chapter 9: Energy Systems.
The chapter examines energy transitions, access and low-carbon pathways—issues central to global climate strategy but especially complex for energy-dependent developing economies such as those in the Caribbean.
Why Representation Matters
Six Trinidadian nationals now sit across the IPCC process—four Lead and Coordinating Lead Authors, one Review Editor and one Lead Author in mitigation. It marks the country’s strongest presence in a single assessment cycle.
But the significance goes beyond numbers. It reflects a broader shift in whose knowledge informs global climate science.
Across AR7, 32 scientists from Small Island Developing States are contributing across all three Working Groups, spanning the Caribbean, Pacific, and Indian, Atlantic and South China Sea regions. Their work appears not only in the Small Islands chapter but across finance, adaptation, energy systems, losses and damages, and sustainable development.
This breadth ensures that small island perspectives are embedded throughout the assessment, not confined to a single section.
When scientists from the world’s most climate-exposed nations help write the global climate assessment, the result is more than representation — it is a richer, more grounded and more complete scientific record.
