Dominica Says It Can Beat Climate Change

The prime minister of Dominica stood in his office atop the country's main government complex, ready to explain how he was making his tiny Caribbean nation the world leader in rebounding from natural disasters. But first he felt compelled to address the obvious: The building had no electricity.
 
Roosevelt Skerrit, whose rounded cheeks and tall frame allow him to come across as both jovial and imposing, dismissed the blackout with a flick of his hand. His only concession to the absence of lights or air conditioning, which in other countries might have sent the building's staff shuffling out into the steamy May streets, was to remove his suit jacket. “We are resilient people,” he said, sweating slightly.
 
This former British colony tucked between Guadeloupe and Martinique is testing the limits of that mantra. After Hurricane Maria devastated Dominica last September, Skerrit pledged to rebuild it into the world's first “fully climate-resilient” nation. The promise made him a celebrity among international donors, drawing support from the Clinton Foundation, Irish billionaire Denis O'Brien, the World Bank, and dozens of aid groups. The island has become a 300-square-mile laboratory for what might be the question of the century: How much can a country inoculate itself against the effects of global warming?
 
The early results are mixed. Foreign advisers worry that homes are being rebuilt to the same shoddy standards as before the storm. Power and telecom companies say it's too expensive to shield their entire networks against Category 5 storms. The new hurricane season started in June. “Time isn't on our side,” Skerrit acknowledged. But without sweeping reform, he said, Dominica won't be able to withstand future storms—or escape them. “We're an island,” he said in his office. “There's nowhere to run.”