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UD Island Policy Lab : Director

Potential clean energy transition pathways in the US Virgin Islands using carbon sensitive policy options

A global empirical analysis on the diffusion & innovation of carbon pricing policies

Small island developing states, tourism and climate change

Electric vehicle adoption in small island economies: Review from a technology transition perspective

A Monte Carlo based approach to the resource assessment of Jamaica's geothermal energy potential

COFA 2023 Emerges as a Vital Lifeline for the Marshall Islands National Climate Adaptation Effort

Dr Shah is a recognized expert on public policy, regulation and governance in small island jurisdictions. As an institutional theorist, his research addresses science-based policy and regulatory design and administration for climate change, pollution prevention, clean technology, industrialization and sustainable production and consumption. His new work is on the effectiveness of tools such as technology needs assessments and regulatory impact assessments for informing policy decisions.

Dr. Shah was appointed as the Coordinator of the Universities Consortium of Small Island States, a UN Multi-stakeholder Partnership and served as Coordinating Lead Author for Environmental Policy Assessment of the UN Global Environmental Outlook 6 Report. He is the President of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Association. He is an active member of the AAAS Caribbean Committee.

Dr. Shah’s expertise continues to be called upon in the international sphere, where he has provided expert advice, research and analysis for organizations including the World Bank Group, InterAmerican Development Bank, United Nations Development Program, Pan-American Health Organization and various governments of island countries including Guyana and Suriname where he designed the national climate change policies. Dr Shah received his PhD in Public Policy from George Mason University with his dissertation on corporate sustainability and regulatory environmental management.  He received his MSc in Natural Resource Management from the University of the West Indies and BSc in Natural Sciences at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago.

Public Policy

Environment, Social, Governance (ESG)

Institutional Transformation

Small Island Developing States

Energy Security and Transition

Climate Change

Business and the Natural Environment

Innovation

English

University of Delaware Expert Profile

University of Delaware Faculty Profile

Island Policy Lab

Google Scholar Citations

ResearchGate Citations

Workshop aims to strengthen island’s climate resilience

Antigua and Barbuda – More Research Needed

How small island 'renewables laboratories' are leading the way in transitioning from fossil fuels

Experts See Environmental Risk from China’s Small Island BRI Efforts

COP26 Perspectives: Kalim Shah

maduro-is-gone-expert-details-potential-impact-on-the-caribbean

Associate Professor, Energy and Environmental Policy

 Globally, the ousting of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela has been met with a mix of reactions and cautious optimism. The University of Delaware’s Kalim Shah can discuss how regime change will play across the Caribbean and the spillover effect that will ripple throughout the region – and the world – in the years and decades to come.

Shah, professor of energy and environmental policy and an expert on the island nations of the Caribbean, says that although public statements have been muted and restrained, there is a shared understanding.

“For small island states that have absorbed the effects of Venezuelan collapse for more than two decades, this moment represents the possible end of a long and destabilizing chapter,” Shah said.

Caribbean governments are not celebrating regime change, Shah said. Rather, they are responding to the prospect of reduced systemic risk. “A Venezuela that no longer exports large-scale displacement, opaque energy leverage and permissive criminal governance is objectively preferable for the region.”

Shah can discuss several aspects of Venezuela’s political history, how the nation has arrived where it is, where it might be headed and the impact this will have on the Caribbean as a whole. Those include: 

• Venezuela’s political and economic deterioration during the Chávez–Maduro era and how that has translated directly into pressures felt across the Caribbean in the form of migration, fiscal exposure, security risks and regional uncertainty.

• How the nation’s institutional collapse coincided with deepening organized crime activity across the Caribbean basin. Data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime consistently places the region within major cocaine trafficking corridors linking South America with North American and European markets. For Caribbean governments, this meant higher interdiction costs, increased exposure to transnational criminal networks and growing pressure on already limited security institutions.

• This moment invites a reassessment of China’s expanding footprint in the Caribbean, Shah says. He can discuss the ways in which Beijing has deepened its presence throughout the region.

Shah says that as this transition unfolds, five policy developments will determine whether the cautious optimism proves warranted:

• The impact on Venezuelan outward migration to the Caribbean. 

• Whether Caribbean public systems receive durable support rather than short-term humanitarian fixes. 

• Organized crime and drug trafficking pressures in the Caribbean basin.

• External security engagement in the Caribbean.

• Whether the region avoids a return to dependency-driven energy and infrastructure politics. 

“For the Caribbean, hope today is not naïve. It is conditional. The Chávez–Maduro years imposed real costs on the region. Their end creates an opening…but only if policy follows through,” Shah said.

To contact Shah directly for interviews, visit his expert page and click on the "contact" button. Interested reporters can also send an email to mediarelations@udel.edu. 

Maduro is gone; expert details potential impact on the Caribbean

enhancing-environmental-governance-in-the-caribbean

University of Delaware Island Policy Lab pioneers efforts to integrate climate services into environmental permitting processes in developing countries

 The University of Delaware's Island Policy Lab has launched  a first-of-its kind initiative to ensure that future development projects in the Caribbean  are equipped to adapt to climate risks effectively. When completed, this work will set a new benchmark for sustainable development across the region. The research initiative is led by Professor Kalim Shah, Director of the UD Island Policy Lab, with colleagues at the University of the West Indies. 

 
The collaborative effort, which kicked off this month in Barbados, will integrate climate services into Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and bring together key stakeholders from public agencies, academic institutions and private organizations. Funded by NOAA and the U.S. Department of State, the project aims to strengthen environmental governance by embedding scientific climate data into regulatory frameworks. 

The work will cover multiple Caribbean islands chosen for their contrasting regulatory frameworks, with the aim of addressing critical gaps in how climate risks are incorporated into EIA processes, which often lack consistent and actionable climate data. On this first Barbados leg, the project has drawn support from the Barbados Meteorological Services, the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification, the Coastal Zone Management Unit and international financial institutions such as the Caribbean Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Private sector project developers are working alongside regulatory bodies and academic institutions to ensure the success of the initiative.

Minister of Planning and Development William Duguid emphasized the importance of the project during the launch event, held at the Savannah Beach Club in Christ Church. “Our very survival as a nation depends on building climate resilience,” Duguid said, highlighting the vulnerability of Barbados’ key infrastructure — such as airports, seaports, and hospitals — located along the coast. He stressed the significance of using climate data in EIA processes to mitigate risks such as sea-level rise and storm surges, which threaten the island’s long-term sustainability.

 The initiative follows a phased approach, beginning with assessments of the existing institutional frameworks in Barbados, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, with other countries following in the future. The research team will evaluate how well current climate services align with the needs of both public agencies and private developers. In subsequent phases, stakeholders will participate in co-designing tailored climate tools to enhance EIA processes, leading to the development of Climate Services Implementation Plans. These plans will provide a roadmap for integrating climate services sustainably across sectors and jurisdictions.

“This project is about more than just collecting data – it’s about turning scientific insights into practical tools for decision-makers,” Shah explained. The co-design process, which involves collaboration with local stakeholders and international partners, aims to reduce conflicts between regulators and developers by embedding climate considerations early in the project approval process. This alignment will ensure that new developments are both environmentally sound and climate-resilient.

The research is expected to deliver several key outcomes, including enhanced coordination among regulatory bodies, improved access to climate data, and greater institutional capacity to manage environmental risks. Dr. Sylvia Donhert, Chief of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Compete Caribbean program, endorsed the project saying that it reflects the growing urgency for climate action across the region. “Embedding climate science into development planning is essential not just for policy but for the economic well-being of the region."


Enhancing environmental governance in the Caribbean

small-island-states-forging-climate-legacy

 Comprising nations that are often overshadowed by larger counterparts on the economic stage, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) has become a formidable presence in shaping the discourse around climate change. Despite their limited economic clout, the AOSIS group wields influence by virtue of their vulnerability to the frontlines of climate impacts, making them pioneers in advocating for climate justice. 

Now at the heart of global climate negotiations, the AOSIS group has successfully spearheaded the establishment of a breakthrough in climate justice: A dedicated fund  geared towards assisting less developed nations in bolstering their adaptation and resilience efforts. 

Kalim Shah, associate professor of energy and environmental policy at the University of Delaware, can comment on  AOSIS and its role at The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (also known as UNFCCC). He makes the following points:

The AOSIS group, which is the negotiating body for small island developing states (SIDS) in The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has emerged over the last decade as a major force in the global negotiations (even though the group comprises of small island nations which are typically not significant economic powerhouses=). They continue to lead on a number of key components of the UNFCCC climate agreement and wield this power largely because small islands are on the frontlines of climate impacts like seal level rise and are among the first to be impacted, even as they hold "no responsibility" for global warming.  Small island states have now successfully led the negotiations for and approval of acknowledgement of "loss and damage" and a specific new loss and damage fund. This fund is dedicated to helping less developed countries with their adaptation and resilience building needs. “Loss and damage” is a general term used in UN climate negotiations to refer to the consequences of climate change that go beyond what people can adapt to, or when options exist but a community doesn’t have the resources to access or utilize them.   This could be a turning point for the Alliance of Small Island States, since over 70% of climate funds to date have been allocated or distributed to climate mitigation efforts and very little to the SIDS. Since SIDS do not account for massive amounts of Greenhouse gas emissions, this was of little real help to them. But now the global consensus is understanding that the 1.5 degrees threshold of the Paris Accord will be passed and more efforts on the adaptation side must be available for the most vulnerable, such as SIDS to cope with climate impacts that are inevitable.  To set up an interview with Professor Shah, visit his profile and click on the "contact" button.


Small island states forging climate legacy

Moderator:  Dr. Kalim Shah, Assistant Professor, Energy and Environmental Policy Program, Biden School, University of Delaware

Panelists
Dr. Jules Bruck, Professor and Director of Landscape Architecture University of Delaware
Dr. John Callahan, Associate Scientist and Climatologist, Delaware Geological Survey
Edie Vinson-Maitland,  Program Specialist at FEMA
Kelly Jacobs, Energy and Environmental Policy PhD student at the University of Delaware & leader of ENEP student organization 


Focal areas
Coastal design and art for raising  sl the
Climate change and coastal hazards
Emergency management in a changing climate, and how that relates to the Mid-Atlantic.
Experiences as an environmental student-choosing to face the climate crisis as a career path

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Global Dialogs - Delaware

Excerpt from the IRENA-Caribbean Cooperation for Fostering Energy Transition Investments and Finance event held in Barbados on May 30-June 1, 2023.  Island Policy Lab Director Dr. Kalim Shah talks about impactful ways the international community can support sustainable energy transition in Small Island Developing States.

This video was cut off from a longer recording from IRENA.  The Island Policy Lab of the University of Delaware do not claim ownership of the video.  The entire recording can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhG8CYRL9Rc.

IPL Director at the IRENA-Caribbean Event in Barbados

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released their Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) with findings even more alarming than previous reports.  These findings have huge implications for small islands and coastal developing countries which the Island Policy Lab at the University of Delaware seeks to highlight in this video. #islands #climate #IPCC #AR6 #COP26

Assessment Report 6: Implications for Islands

Barbados continues to lead the global climate change fight with its relatively new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process.

According to Minister of Planning and Development in the Prime Minister's Office and Senior Minister in the Prime Minister's Office with Responsibility for Coordinating Infrastructural Projects Dr. William Duguid.

Dr. Duguid says the EIA is an integral part of the Planning and Development Act proclaimed in December 2021, to tackle climate change frontality and explains an EIA is mandatory for certain projects or developments.

He was addressing the international workshop on Strengthening Climate Resilience: Integrating Climate Services into Environmental Impact Assessment Processes in Barbados.

The two-day workshop is being hosted by the University of the West Indies Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies in collaboration with the Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration at the University of Delaware.

Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Delaware Kalim Shah says Barbados' environmental laws and policies are advanced when compared to other Caribbean States.

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Barbados continues to lead global climate change fight

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