CARIBSAVE’s flagship Climate Change Risk Atlas is where the best climate science and thinking from communities come together to enable a region prepare for the future. In short, it’s a one-stop, comprehensive guide to the threats climate change poses to 15 Caribbean countries and what they can do about them.
Framed with the key tourism sector in mind, the atlas pinpoints where and when fundamental shifts in the environment will occur across the Caribbean and how they will affect every aspect of life.
During three years, some of the world’s leading researchers in climate, physical and social sciences plotted the path of coming change and assessed the vulnerability of the region’s people, environment and infrastructure. The team worked with regional experts and institutions, particularly the University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre and applied various state-of-the-art, high-resolution climate models to estimate the most likely changes across the region. The project also used advanced mapping and survey techniques to identify where storm surges would hit or what infrastructure would be submerged by the projected rise in sea level.
Hundreds of meetings were held with residents, businesses and decision-makers to build up a picture of the social and economic consequences of the projected changes, adding an essential practical outlook and community knowledge to the project. When the consultations were done, the researchers had a much better idea of what the priorities would be for each community.
A critical goal of the consultation phase was to “democratise” climate change science. Through film (insert YouTube link), clear data maps and animation, the team brought the message home to individuals, explaining what changes, for example, increases in water temperature, were likely to mean for them. Further, at each stage of the project, vital information surfacing from the study was shared with key ministries and policymakers in each country, underscoring the fact that climate change affects not only the environment but the economy, society, the physical landscape and national finances.
The task was to suggest ways that each island could take to mitigate and offset these threats. Coastal threats emerged as a core issue, with storms and hurricanes projected to increase in intensity and inflict an ever-greater toll, damage that will be compounded by sea level rise. The region’s largest industry, tourism and key infrastructure such as roads and airports, which are mostly based along the coastline, are highly vulnerable to these projected threats. Further, the degradation of coastal ecosystems, in particular coral reefs, will also add to the rate of coastal erosion and risk of flooding.
Food security and energy were also key issues for the region, as most countries rely on imports to meet their needs. Despite the availability of abundant renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, seven of the 15 countries examined rely on fossil fuels to generate all of their electricity. Here, cutting dependency on these fuels and turning to alternative sources makes sound economic and environmental sense; it would allow money spent on fuel to be diverted to local sources and play a part in reducing carbon emissions. Suriname, one country in the study, is leading the way, producing 95 percent of its power from hydro plants.
The result of the project is an accessible, science-based, practical guide that lets the general public and specialists alike compare and contrast their present and future risks.
The CARIBSAVE Climate Change Risk Atlas was funded by UKaid from the United Kingdom Department for International Development and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).
The project was implemented in 15 countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Nevis, St Lucia, St Kitts, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and the Turks and Caicos.
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For more information click here: link to the short CCCRA Briefing Note
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The CARIBSAVE Climate Change Risk Atlas was funded by UKaid from the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). The project was implemented in 15 countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Nevis, St. Lucia, St Kitts, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and the Turks and Caicos, over a period of three (3) years, and focused on reducing vulnerability and enhancing resilience of the tourism sector and related sectors, vital to the economy and livelihoods of the Caribbean region.
These sectors or components were:
- Climate Data, Variable Modelling and Impacts
- Water Resources
- Energy
- Agriculture and Food Security
- Human Health
- Biodiversity (Marine and Terrestrial) and Fisheries
- Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Impacts on Coastal Infrastructure and Settlements
- Comprehensive Disaster Management
- Community Livelihoods, Gender, Poverty & Development
The main outputs from CCCRA Phase I are Climate Change Risk Country Profiles which detail the key climate processes of relevance and key results specific to each country; the analysis of sea level rise and storm surge impacts on sections of national coastlines; the impact of climate change on coastal communities and an assessment of gender and livelihood differentials; and in coordination with national stakeholders vulnerability and adaptive capacity analyses of tourism and its related sectors are conducted. These outputs contribute to the work being conducted by national and regional organisations working in the areas of gender, sustainable development, climate change, and risk and disaster management. Other crucial components of the project included significant capacity building and awareness?raising initiatives for a range of agencies and institutions including coastal management agencies in the countries, national, local and regional tourism stakeholders, local communities and the University of West Indies.
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[vc_cta_button title="DOWNLOAD" href="http://intasave-caribsave.intasave.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/09/Risk-Atlas-Briefing-Note.pdf" color="btn-info" size="wpb_regularsize" icon="none" target="_blank" position="cta_align_right" call_text="Download the Risk Atlas Briefing Note (PDF)"][/vc_column] [/vc_row]
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