ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES FACED BY - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES FACED BY CARIBBEAN SIDS THROUGH A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT LENS

Marlene Attzs, PhD Deputy Coordinator, Sustainable Economic Development Unit (SEDU) Department of Economics, UWI St. Augustine

UNESCO Future Forum, July 8th 2010, Port of Spain, Trinidad

Environmental and Climate Change Challenges (E&CC)

• Socio-Economic dimension

▫ Current socio-economic status of Caribbean economies

• Environmental dimension

▫ Existing Environmental challenges

• Climate change projections
• Policy prescriptions for meeting the E&CC for the

achievement of SD in Caribbean SIDS

S

• cio-economic and environmental
• verview of Caribbean Economies
• The services sector – specifically tourism -

accounts for upwards of 30% of GDP in most Caribbean countries

• Agriculture and Manufacturing contribute less

to GDP

• As a consequence of (2) above most inputs for

the tourism industry are imported

• Most Caribbean economies running at least

double deficits – fiscal and current account

S

• cio-economic and environmental
• verview of Caribbean Economies
• Global financial crisis posed socio-economic

challenges for a number of Caribbean economies

▫ Remittances – Guy, Jam, Haiti ▫ Tourism receipts – Bah, Bar, StL, SVG, SKN

• Environmental impacts of natural events

▫ Haiti – Storms 200…, Earthquake January 2010 ▫ Grenada – 2004, 2005 ▫ Guyana and Suriname – Floods of 2005 ▫ Jamaica – 2004, 2005, … ▫ OECS Countries - …

Caribbean economies: External and Domestic Debt as a %

• f GDP

Environmental Overview of Caribbean economies and socioeconomic consequences

• Between 1990 and 2008, 165 natural hazard

events in the Caribbean - (16) countries

▫ 61% were windstorm-related events – hurricanes, floods and tropical storms. ▫ Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica were the countries that were most affected by these natural disasters over the period having each experienced 49, 34 and 21 natural events, respectively.

Environmental Overview of Caribbean economies and socioeconomic consequences

• Total damage to the region (direct damage and

indirect losses) from natural disasters was estimated to be 136 billion USD over the period 1990 – 2008.

▫ The total direct and indirect econom ic im pact of natural disasters in the Caribbean between 1990 and 2008 was $63 billion USD ▫ The total infrastructural dam age from natural disasters was approximately $12 billion USD ▫ The social costs of disasters was $57 billion USD ▫ Damage to the environm ent from disasters was $3.5 billion USD

S ummary socioeconomic and environmental data for Caribbean S IDS

Country Unemployment Rate (% of labour force) Estimated Poverty Levels (% of population) CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita) PM10 Emissions (2006) Forest area (% of land area) Total Ecological Footprint Total Water Footprint of consumption (m3/person/ yr)

ANTB 8.4 18.4 6 12.16 21 BAH 14.2 9.3 6 51 BAR 10.0 13.9 5 39.67 4 1,355 BEL 13.1 33.5 3 15.06 72 1,646 DOM 11 39 2 25.75 61 GRE 15.2 32.1 2 20.05 12 GUY 11.8 35.0 2 30.49 77 2,113 Haiti 7.2 65 0.19 37.00 4 0.5 848 JAM 11.4 12.7 5 43.31 31 1.1 1,016 SKN n.a 33 3 15.36 20 StL 21.0 28.8 2 30.57 28 SVG 19.8 37.5 2 27.85 28 SUR 13.8 27.2 5 27.64 95 1,234 TNT 5.3 16.7 25 100.96 44 2.1 1,039

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Reasons to address climate change

• It…“w ould be prudent for the property/ casualty

industry to act as if that theory (global w arm ing) is correct. Failure to act w ould leave the industry and its policy holders vulnerable to truly disastrous consequences.” (Swiss Re, 1990).

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Reasons to address climate change

• Sustainable Development – climate change

considered one of the greatest challenges to sustainable development

▫ Anticipated negative impacts on economic sustainability, environmental sustainability , human health, food security, natural resources and physical infrastructure.

Proj ected climate change impacts on the Caribbean

• In 2011 the precipitation rate is likely to increase by 1

mm/ day in the Atlantic Sea region including the Turks and Caicos and Bahamas region which is likely to experience an increase by as much as 2 mm /day.

• The rest of the region shows that there are no expected

changes in the precipitation rate when compared to that

• f 1961- 1990.

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S ECTORAL VULNERABILTY

• Agriculture

▫ Food security

• Hum an health

▫ Impact of health care costs, availability. Impact on productivity – loss of workdays. Impact on income generation

• Hum an settlem ents

▫ Flooding impacts from rising sea levels; health implications; socio-economic impact

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S ECTORAL VULNERABILTY

• Coastal zones

▫ Sea level rise; flooding coastal erosion and consequent negative implications for tourism sector

• Water resources

▫ Temperature increase – loss of surface water; decreased rainfall – decrease in availability of surface water

Population densities - people per km2

S tatistics thru gender lens

• Female employment in services sector (incl

tourism) as a share of total female employment ranges between 73% in St. Lucia to 94% in the

• Bahamas. Barbados, Belize, Trinidad and

Tobago Jamaica hover at 78-84%

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Climate Change and S ustainable Development

• Sustainable Development…meets the needs of present

generations without compromising ability of future generations to meet their own needs

▫ Econom ic Efficiency

Economic Growth (what is the “engine” for us) and what might be the impact of CC on this “engine”

▫ Social Efficiency

Reductions in poverty, vulnerabilities, inequalities

▫ Environm ental Managem ent

Reductions in GHG Emissions Reductions in environmental degradation Greening at macro and micro levels

ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES FACED BY CARIBBEAN SIDS

• Data, data, data
• Public Education and participation including

involvement of civil society, academia

• Interdisciplinary research for addressing climate

and environmental challenges

• Climate Change adaptation and mitigation and

environmental management benefits as Regional Public Goods