Beyond technical solutions: The role of social infrastructure in enhancing climate resilience in the Caribbean 

Presentation Beyond technical solutions: The role of social infrastructure in enhancing climate resilience in the Caribbean, by Dr. Victor Toom (Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy)

Climate adaptation in the Caribbean includes nature-based solutions to protect ecosystems, but resilience also depends on social infrastructure like community centers, schools, and libraries. These spaces foster cohesion, trust, and self-reliance but are often overlooked in adaptation strategies. This paper presents findings from a Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) project, highlighting the role of social infrastructure in strengthening climate resilience across Caribbean islands.

Victor Toom is a Research Fellow at the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR). He co-authored Justice in Climate Policy (2024), which emphasized fairness as a core principle for distributing climate burdens, and People and Climate (2025), which showed how social infrastructure strengthens adaptation capacity. 

His current work addresses climate adaptation in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, highlighting their specific vulnerabilities and urging inclusive strategies that connect local realities with national and global climate policy.