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July 2016
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When it comes to climate change, the Caribbean is in a precarious position. Our proximity and dependence on the sea makes us particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures. Yet as a region we are not major contributors to climate change and hold no sway over those that have the most detrimental impact on the environment. On the surface it seems a position of powerlessness in a scenario where power is crucial. But despite our constraints, the Caribbean has in fact shown leadership in its response to the threat of a warming world. “We must recognise that over the years some of the institutions have been doing solid policy research, scientific research and advocacy,” says Professor Emeritus Edward Greene. Professor Greene, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV in the Caribbean, was in Trinidad to lecture on “Climate Change: The Future of the Caribbean” as part of the UWI Distinguished Lecture Series. Speaking at the Teaching and Learning Complex at St. Augustine, he looked at the threat climate change posed to the region, and the work that has been done and that needs to be done to mitigate its effects and adapt to the emerging environment. “We have a fragile window of opportunity,” Professor Greene says at the University Inn a few hours before his presentation. “If we don’t act within ten years – according to scenarios done by the Stockholm Institute for Climate Change and supported by others – the cost for handling climate change would spiral by about 55% to 60%.” It’s a warning but not delivered in a dire tone. The professor is in fact quite upbeat, pleasant and gentlemanly in that old school West Indian way. He is optimistic and focuses on what has gone right in the Caribbean’s response to climate change and offering a blueprint for the future. He does not deny, however, the severity of the threat. Scientists estimate that the planet has heated up by 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880. The heat accumulating because of human emissions is roughly the equivalent of 400,000 times the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima – every day. If these emissions continue unchecked they could make temperatures rise past 8 degrees Fahrenheit, which would cause a catastrophic rise in sea levels. Low-lying countries such as Guyana, Belize and Suriname and many coastal areas of islands could be devastated. This is apart from other consequences of climate change such as extreme weather events, damage to the ecosystem, an increase in water-borne diseases, and impacts on industries such as agriculture, forestry, energy and tourism. Professor Greene is quick to point out that steps are being taken to prevent this from coming to pass, most notably the Paris Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change which was adopted in December 2015 by 192 countries. “The Paris Agreement is a landmark because it strategically allows countries to develop their policies with the benchmark of holding the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and asking them to try for 1.5 degrees,” he says. He also points out that the Caribbean has advocated such a position long before the Paris Agreement: “It is important to note that against great resistance from the developed world, the Caribbean Community launched and led a campaign ahead of the 15th UN Conference of parties in Copenhagen, 2009, under the banner ‘1.5 to Stay Alive’. It was a bold campaign spearheaded by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5Cs).” Professor Greene said regional organisations such as the Belize-based 5Cs and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in Barbados and UWI researchers such as Professor Anthony Chen, Dr. Leonard Nurse and Professor John Agard have made an important contribution to the climate change issue through policy, research and advocacy. “I believe that over the years we have come to understand how we must frame our options and we have come to understand the costs of inaction,” he said. “That’s very important because politicians like to know what it will cost in GDP. I believe that we have been able to show this.” For the post Paris Agreement world, Professor Greene emphasizes the importance of framing climate change as an issue for all Caribbean people, one that must be dealt with collectively. “We have to be sure we treat climate change not as something for academics and policymakers to deal with but something that must engage the people themselves,” he said. “They must demand their rights for reduced emissions. We will embed that culture in the schools, and parents, priests, teachers and so on will be part of that action. We need this to happen from the ground. This has to be a collaborative, shared responsibility. That has to be the next step.” |
