Caribbean scientists on climate change

Declaration by the Caribbean scientists on the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

In order to reduce the vulnerability of the Caribbean Region to the ravage of disasters aggravated by climate change, the ACS Secretariat has convened a Seminar with scientists from the region that took part in the Nobel Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Particular attention was given by participants to the special characteristics of Haiti in terms of vulnerability, exposure and needs to adapt to extreme events, notably in view of the impact of the 2004, 2007 and 2008 cyclonic season. In this respect the participants endorsed a call for the urgent channeling of international cooperation for the rehabilitation required after these events as identified by the post disaster needs assessment (PDNA) undertaken by the Haitian Government with the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Commission. They also endorsed an appeal for assistance to other countries in the region that were affected by disasters in 2008 that are in need of international cooperation.

This Seminar inscribes in the follow up and application of the Saint Marc Plan of Action and the mandate of the ACS to promote and enhance intra regional cooperation in the wider Caribbean utilizing its member countries’ strengths and generating synergies to act jointly in the face of its members needs and vulnerabilities.

Participants at the seminar recognized the need to enhance the institutional capacities at the Caribbean regional level, generate a deeper appropriation of risk reduction and adaptation to climate change at the national and community levels, internalizing such activities in sustainable manner within a systemic vision that includes these key issues not only by individual projects but rather with a programmatic approach.

The meeting recognized the systemic interaction of human societies and the environment where beneficial linkages have to be enhanced while reducing the mutually negative impacts of environmental degradation, current production and socioeconomic models, technologies that do not contribute to climate change mitigation.

The urgency for small island development states and for smaller developing economies to be able to access and generate resources for adaptation is further enhanced by the fragility and degradation of their natural ecosystems. Additionally the participants agreed that in a framework of shared responsibilities, recognition should be given to the investments they have to do to adapt to the disproportionate impact of climate change, given their very low contributions to greenhouse gas emissions.

This does not preclude, rather emphasizes, the potential of mitigation processes that may help finance and sustain adaptation efforts, notably in terms of reforestation, clean production, reduction of greenhouse houses such as methane, and be recognized in their efforts to avoid deforestation.

Based on the regions’ wealth in natural and human resources --- the latter exemplified by the internationally recognized scientists and regional academic institutions that are of world level quality --- some concrete proposals made by the participants, in which the ACS could play a catalytic role were:

Promote scientific exchanges and mutual knowledge of relevant research (as the one exemplified by attending scientists;
Promote and enhance capacity building, training, public education and awareness among all stakeholders;
Promote synergic partnerships between governments, scientist, the private sector and civil society;
Identify and promote projects for adaptation in the face of climatic scenarios as evidenced by recent stronger, more recurrent and fast developing extreme events;
Expand and share meteorological monitoring and early warning systems;
Promote joint bilateral and multinational projects in key areas such as watershed management, shared ecosystems, and technical codes in respect of land use planning and construction codes. Specific support was expressed for initiatives among pairs of countries as is the case of the Dominican Republic and Haiti for which a permanent scientific dialogue process was endorsed to find joint cooperative solutions to watershed management, reforestation and improvement on the conditions of border communities;
Support the Haitian Government’s national program of Carbon sequestering and called for the Wider Caribbean solidarity for its implementation; and
Promote a political commitment that countries will devote a proportion of their GDP to adaptation (an indicative figure could be 0.2%), as a seed investment to attract enhanced complementary cooperation from the ODA, and mobilize foreign investments -notable in the area of alternative renewable energy sources, given the fact that in addition to its oil reserves the region has comparative advantage in solar, water and sea and geothermic sources.

opinion