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 8 th 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 ocio-economic and environmental overview 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 ocio-economic and environmental overview 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 % of 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 Estimated Total Water Poverty Levels CO 2 emissions Unemployment PM10 Forest area Total Footprint of (% of Country Rate (% of labour (metric tons Emissions (% of land Ecological consumption population) (m 3 /person/ force) per capita) (2006) area) Footprint 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 2 30.49 77 2,113 11.8 35.0 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 19.8 37.5 SVG 2 27.85 28 27.2 13.8 SUR 5 27.64 95 1,234 TNT 5.3 16.7 25 100.96 44 2.1 1,039

9 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).

10 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.

11 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 of 1961- 1990.

12 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

13 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 km 2

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%

16 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