CHTA/DHTA support CARICOM position on climate change

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is calling on the global community to support CARICOM’s position advocating for a cap on the world’s temperature rise at 1.5 degrees Centigrade as part of their deliberations during the United Nations Climate Change Conference, taking place in Paris from Nov. 30 – Dec. 11, 2015.

In a letter to the Hon. Dr. James Fletcher, Chairman of CARICOM Task Force on Climate Change, CHTA Acting President Karolin Troubetzkoy strongly supported CARICOM’s call for a binding agreement on climate change.

“Considering the significant research conducted to demonstrate trend lines and forecasted impact of climate change on the world’s most vulnerable countries, CHTA fully supports the position being advanced by the CARICOM Task Force,” Troubetzkoy said.

Many developed and newly industrialized countries are prepared to settle for a 2025 climate change of a two-degree increase which would negatively impact CARICOM countries and the broader Caribbean basin. CHTA cites research that points to the devastating consequences for the Caribbean from a two-degree rise in temperature. A report conducted by CARIBSave for CARICOM estimates that a two-degree global temperature increase would result in a major displacement of coastal and urban population centers. Many of the region’s beaches, resorts, airports, seaports, power plants and roads could disappear or incur significant damage.

CARICOM’s Climate Change Task Force also points to the land mass losses in the region’s 20 member CARICOM states. It points to a rise in sea levels that would result in approximately 1,300 square kilometers of land area being lost. This would be equivalent to the combined areas of Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. CHTA adds that when one extends the impact to 15 additional Caribbean Basin states that are not part of CARICOM, including Cuba and the Dominican Republic, the regional impact is far greater.

Based upon these estimations, the social-economic consequences to the Caribbean would be catastrophic. CHTA asserts that the consequences to the region’s economies would be severe, affecting employment levels, government revenue and diverting precious limited resources by states that are already facing vulnerable debt to GDP ratios, to infrastructure and mitigation efforts.

The Dominica Hotel & Tourism Association (DHTA) stands firmly behind CHTA’s support for the position being advanced by the CARICOM Task Force which calls for a binding agreement by the world’s nations recognizing the special circumstances of the Caribbean and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), mitigating the impact of climate change by adopting measures that are aimed at restricting a rise in global temperature below 1.5 degrees Centigrade above pre-industrial levels, and providing technical and financial resources supporting research and mitigation measures to counter losses.

“Severe weather events like Tropical Storm Erika always remind us of the vulnerability of our small island states. Well-documented consequences of climate change such as rising sea levels would be catastrophic for the Caribbean. We must do all that we can within our control to reduce our own carbon footprint while acting in unison as a region to advocate for more aggressive global targets,” remarks DHTA President, Gregor Nassief.

CHTA and its members are working on several fronts to create a more sustainable tourism industry. With the support of the Inter-American Development Bank, detailed energy efficiency audits have been conducted on over 150 regional hotels. Many of the region’s hotels have put energy efficiency measures in-place. The industry has advanced training, policies and incentives that support greater efficiencies and lower carbon footprints. CHTA and many of the region’s national hotel and tourism associations have developed and promoted readiness and response plans to minimize the impact from weather-related disasters.