Region must adapt to the reality of climate change – CARICOM SG

CARICOM SG addressing Monday’s Technical Consultations

Resources the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is mobilizing to support reconstruction of hurricane ravaged Member States is intended for them to build back smarter and better, against the existential threat of climate change.

Secretary-General of CARICOM, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque said that intention was in “full knowledge that we are into a new era,” when hurricanes have now become “game changers.”

He was at the time speaking at the opening of Technical Consultations at the CARICOM-UNDP High Level Pledging Conference, earlier this morning (20 November) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The two-day event is to mobilize national governments, regional organizations, international development partners, private sector, and civil society to support the construction of what can become the world’s first hurricane resilient countries.

Reminding the stakeholders of the hurricane devastation, Secretary-General LaRocque said two category five hurricanes in two weeks, and one, Maria, going from a category 1 to a category 5 in less than 36 hours, was a signal of a dangerous change in the intensity and frequency of climate events.

“The Region must therefore adapt to this reality. Time is not on our side. The next hurricane season is seven months away,” he stated.

He reminded that the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, at their 21st Meeting (COP21) in Paris, December 2015, agreed to “hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2° C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5° C.”

September’s hurricanes have proven that 1.5 is critical to Small Island and low-lying coastal Developing States (SIDS) which are highly vulnerable to climatic hazards.

He said that since the Paris Agreement Caribbean scientists have carried out studies to explore the consequences of both a 1.5 and 2.0 degree Centigrade warmer world.

“They have found that given the current trend, the 1.5 target will occur within the next decade, much sooner than previously anticipated. With 1.5, the scientists are predicting generally harsher climatic conditions for our Region.”

Emphasizing the urgency of resilient reconstruction he said: “We must prepare for the next catastrophic hurricane, flood or drought. We must therefore be climate resilient in time for the next event.”

He said the Community has been taking steps to embed resilience in its planning with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) led Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Strategy 2014-2024, to continue its role as the Caribbean’s platform for achieving risk resilience.

The strategy embraces key sectors such as Agriculture, Tourism, Health, Education, Finance, and Physical and Environmental Planning. Additionally, it places increased focus on harmonizing disaster risk reduction and climate change considerations.

However, he noted that it was obvious that given the new normal, much more needs to be done.

The Secretary-General lauded the Governments and People of the Caribbean Community and its Institutions, whom he noted “have stood up to be counted in assisting the affected states.”

He added that the Community is eternally grateful to the International Community for its “rendering tremendous support,” including the UNDP from its invaluable support to the CARICOM-UNDP Pledging Conference.

 

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3 Comments

  1. Scampy
    November 28, 2017

    I really love these guys.

    First it was ‘global warming’. Now that didn’t take as there were snowstorms everywhere even in summer.
    So they went for ‘climate change’. Great move because if it turns warm, the’re good, if it turns cold, the’re good too!

    So Mr. SG, I guess you think after man made Maria that it’s ‘global warming’?? Well Daily Mail says scientists say that we are actually heading towards another ice age. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1085359/Global-warning-We-actually-heading-new-Ice-Age-claim-scientists.html

    This means that if we keep occluding the sun via cloud brightening techniques and chemtrailing the h*ll out of the sun, we are only going to get all of the earth colder and colder. I guess that’s the plan aye :)

    Mr. SG, get an education, a proper job and a conscience.

  2. anonymous2
    November 22, 2017

    Actually Sir you should be saying that the world must adapt to weather weaponization and manipulation by those in charge of these operations. Geoengineering.

  3. Self
    November 21, 2017

    Climate change is a natural process. Climate is supposed to change and it has always been changing. this big hoax and money making business by the united nations scientist must end now.

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