Challenges and Impacts of Climate Change in the Caribbean and Pacific

So I realise that I havent blogged recently but I promise thats about to change.

Todays blogpost features Imarah Radix, a 29 year old from Guyana doing amazing things.

Imarah not only runs an organisation that helps abused women pick themselves up after abuse but she like me is involved in a lot of causes such as the environment, Climate Change, Youth Engagement and Governance.

Climate Change is a global problem and this post shows some lessons that other parts of the world can learn from especially Africa which isnt acting fast enough.

Please read on:

Challenges & Opportunities for Small Island Developing States in the Post 2015 Development Agenda

By Kaierouann Imarah Radix

GUYANA

This blog will deal with some of the continuing challenges and opportunities Caribbean & Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are facing due to impacts of climate change.

It also discusses a way forward for SIDS with regard to developing renewable energy, deep sea exploration of Exclusive Economic Zone’s and political will to back implementation and negotiations in international fora such as the third annual conference on Climate Change in Apia , Samoa.

Because of SIDS’ vulnerability to climate change sea-level rise is magnified. SIDS are characterized by their relatively small land masses, remoteness, livelihood constraints, lack of food security and  their susceptibility to natural hazards.

 “While the global average of sea-level rise is 3.2 mm per year, the island of Kosrae, in the Federated States of Micronesia, is experiencing a sea-level that is rising at a rate of 10 mm per year. 

The tropical Western Pacific has experienced sea-level rise at a rate of 12 mm per year between 1993 and 2009 – about four times the global average.” (The United Nations, 2014)

Among the growing threats of climate change to SIDS are increased flooding, shoreline erosion, ocean acidification, warmer sea and land temperature, Lack of freshwater, and damage to infrastructure from extreme weather events like hurricanes and tsunamis.

Apart from the direct impacts, climate change will have a ripple effect on several socio-economic factors in SIDS countries. For example, in small villages in the Caribbean and Pacific the fisheries sector plays a significant role economically and socially.

 “In Pacific SIDS, fish accounts for up to 90 per cent of animal protein in the diet of coastal communities.” (The United Nations, 2014)

 Climate change will have far reaching economic and tourism impacts especially for SIDS .

Because of the lack of diversification and small market sizes of their economies SIDS are vulnerable to fluctuating market prices and devastating weather events. 

“Tourism represents more than 30 per cent of SIDS total exports. For example, a 50-centimeter rise in sea-level would result in Grenada losing 60 per cent of its beaches”. (The United Nations, 2014)

A major cause of concern is the huge financial cost of adaptation to climate change the capital cost of sea-level rise in the Caribbean Community Countries (CARICOM) alone is estimated to be US$187 billion by 2080. 

(The United Nations, 2014). Unfortunately international community negotiations have been slowly moving to reducing climate change impacts, especially in SIDS, and need to adopt a legally binding agreement that includes clear achievable targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

States and multilateral development institutions need to develop appropriate growth indicators that take into account climate change, poverty, natural resource depletion, human health, and quality of life because so far typical GDP-based indicators do not consider many of the features of SIDS economies such as small market size. 

States also need to drive diversification of sectors and create low carbon jobs. Pacific SIDS especially are also suffering economically because of Dutch disease.

In spite of the challenges there is incredible scope for development particularly in the area of renewable energy. Currently “more than 90 per cent of the energy used by SIDS comes from heavy oil imports which are stretching the limited financial resources available and pushing electricity prices up”.

(The United Nations, 2014)This is why a large percentage of residents in SIDS do not have access to electricity because of poverty For example, “70 per cent of the population in Pacific Islands are without electricity”. 

(The United Nations, 2014)

SIDS have a wealth of potential renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, tidal, hydroelectric and geothermal but are lacking the political will  and heavy investment needed to sustainably fund and develop projects. 

Many SIDS possess unexploited natural resources located in their exclusive economic zones and deep sea areas these include “minerals, possible pharmaceutical agents, hydrocarbons, renewable energy resources, and fish stocks. 

Papua New Guinea has already embarked on exploratory activities for mining of seabed manganese nodules and rare earth elements.” (The United Nations, 2014)

I argue here that Caribbean SIDS can learn from and emulate Pacific SIDS by focusing away from emphasizing small state vulnerabilities and instead pay attention to new strategic regional agreements such as SIDS DOCK and making the sea a central part of negotiations in the framework of the post 2015 development agenda but there must be proper planning and management of projects to sustainably build resilience over time for there to be significant gains in mitigation and adaptation to climate change.(Witter. M 2013)

 Works Cited

Witter. M (2013). Raising the issue of the Caribbean Sea In Samoa. Caribbean Journal of International Relations & Diplomacy Vol. 1, No. 3, pp.75-81.

The United Nations. (2014, August 28). http://www.un.org. Retrieved from UN Climate Change Blog: http://www.un.org/climatechange/blog/2014/06/sea-level-rise-in-small-island-nations-up-to-four-times-the-global-average-to-cost-us-trillions-in-annual-economic-loss-and-impede-future-development-shift-to-green-policies-and-investment-criti/