Dominica has been classified among the “most vulnerable,” countries to climate change and in light of this a national consultation on the global framework for climate services is being held here.
It is the first of its kind in the Caribbean region.
“Dominica has been classified among the most vulnerable countries,” said the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David Johnson, at the opening ceremony currently held at the Fort Young Hotel on Tuesday. “The nature island has a complex mixture of vulnerabilities stemming from our geographic location and topography. These vulnerabilities reflect our status as a small island developing state and include a combination of environmental socio economic and health vulnerabilities.”
He pointed out that the island is at risk to a range of natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and droughts and “the significant amount of population settlement and development which take place around our coastlines increase our vulnerability to climate change.”
He said that very few persons would disagree that these factors reduce the island’s resilience and threaten the country’s likelihood to achieve sustainable development.
“Over the years emergencies caused by severe weather, climate and water related hazards have severely impacted communities around the island leading to the destruction of our social and economic infrastructure and eco-system and have caused loss of human lives in some instances,” he said.
Meantime, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Advisor on Sustainable Development and Environmental Health, Sally Edwards, said a comprehensive framework for action is needed to address climate change.
“To properly address climate change and its impact on health we need a comprehensive framework for action,” Edwards stated. “This framework should be focused on broad areas addressing evidence fraction, building awareness within and outside the health sector, working in partnerships and implementing adaptations mechanisms in the health sector. This is how PAHO promotes leadership to both protect people from climate change, promoting healthier environments for all.”
The two-day consultation is being funded by the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) with support from the World Meteorological Services and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Participants of the consultation include: Ministry of Health, National Steering Committee for Climate Change, National Meteorological Services, Environmental Coordinating Unit, Office of Disaster Management, and other ministries such as Land and Surveys, Tourism, Forestry, Planning and representatives from Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology.
It seeks to review the present status of generating climate information and assess the specific needs of the various sectors to facilitate and improve projections, prediction and decision making and at the same time point out various areas that needs improvement.
It’s just a bunch of mad and crazies…They need to stop adoring the creation and start to adore the CREATOR…It’s all in HIS hand and not in ours…
There is a constant reference to Climate Change by local officials in relation to recent events concerning our climate and ecology among other things. These statements are not supported by scientific data. I am hoping that this National Consultation will seek to address those erroneous claims.
To begin with it has not been established that Dominica is experiencing heavier rainfall than in the past. The evidence for this has not been presented. If, for example, the rainfall of the year 2014 is higher than in the past we should know which is the second highest or if in fact it is the highest at all. We should also be able to establish the margin by which it is higher or lower. Data is available on rainfall recorded for a number of years in Dominica. What are our scientists and officials doing with that data? How do they arrive at those outlandish conclusions?
I think that the first contribution should be made from DOMLEC, imagine the lowering of an electrical bill can save one person from heat stroke. There is no politics involved here, location is the major factor but a lower electrical bill may allow us to use our fans and probably even buy an AC Unit.