Photo Credit: Emilio J. Rodríguez-Posada

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has become the seventh CARICOM Member State to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change. They join Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia in ratifying the Agreement.

The Agreement was opened for signature on 22 April 2016 at a high-level ceremony convened by the Secretary General of the United Nations in New York. At that ceremony, 174 States and the European Union signed the agreement. 15 States also deposited their instruments of ratification at that time.

178 countries have now signed the Agreement and 19 of them have also deposited their instruments of ratification. The Agreement will come into effect when 55 countries representing 55% of global emissions ratify the Agreement. The 19 countries that have ratified the Agreement to date represent only 0.18% of global emissions.

The only developed country to have ratified the…

In Central India, during 2016, millions of farmers who have lost their livelihoods due to a persistent drought made worse by climate change are migrating to the cities. The climate change induced monsoonal delays and ever-worsening drought conditions forced this most recent wave of climate change refugees to make a stark choice — move or watch their families starve.

It’s a repeat of a scene that happened in Syria during 2006 through 2010, but on a much larger scale. A scene that will repeat again and again. In Bangladesh and the other low lying coastal and delta regions of the world, hundreds of millions will be uprooted by sea level rise. In the US Southwest, India, Africa, South America, the Middle East and Southern Europe hundreds of millions more will be uprooted by drought. All because we, as a global civilization, failed to work together to halt fossil…

http://ahtribune.com/opinion/305-showdown-in-brazil.html

The latest report from UNEP says that global costs of adaptation could range from US $140-300 billion by 2030.1 It’s time to get innovative on sources of finance

For every 1 degree C we increase the temperature on the planet we see 7% more moisture in the atmosphere. We are heading to and beyond the IPCC worst case scenario of  6C minimum which will generate another 40% of moisture in the air. This will lead to a greater number of flooding events and increased number of lightning strikes and Tornadoes.
This is an enormous amount of energy and associated warming as water vapour is in itself a green house gas.

“The impact of climate change may be worse than previously thought, a new study suggests”:  “As world leaders hold climate talks in Paris, research shows that land surface temperatures may rise by an average of almost 8C by 2100, if significant efforts are not made to counteract climate change.”

Personally I disagree with the suggestion that it will take until the magic 2100 for…

Carlos Fuller, International and Regional Liaison Officer (CCCCC)

Carlos Fuller, International and Regional Liaison Officer at the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre is in Bonn, Germany at the Headquarters of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). He is part of a team of technical experts participating in the fifth round of technical analyses of developing countries biennial reports (BURs). This is part of the international consultation and analysis (ICA) which consists of the technical analysis followed by a workshop for  facilitating sharing of views under the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). At COP 17 in Cancun, Mexico in 2010, developing countries agreed to prepare BURs which updates their greenhouse gas inventories and provides information such as the support they have received to undertake climate change actions in their countries and identifies additional support they will require. Small island developing States (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs) may…

An expansion of the Sahara Desert northward into Europe. A scenario that has long been a concern raised by scientists modeling potential extreme weather and climate scenarios related to human-caused climate change. And this week, it appears that Southern and Eastern Europe are going to get a taste of Sahara Desert-type weather conditions. It’s just unfolding a bit more dramatically than scientists at first anticipated.

(Monster thunderstorm explodes over Northwestern Africa last night, hurling a huge dust storm or Haboob northward toward Europe. Image source: The Met Office.)

Last night, a massive thunderstorm large enough to cover the England, Scotland and Ireland combined blew up over western Africa. The storm, larger than most hurricanes, drew in strong, hot winds from North Africa and the Sahara Desert. These winds bore upon them a great load of dust. Dust which the strong outflow of the storm then turned northward along a…

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) announced the project “Strengthening Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies and Capacities for Resilience in the Caribbean”, that is supported by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), during the Disaster Risk Reduction Development Partners Meeting which took place in April, 2016 in Barbados. The purpose of the project is reinforcing disaster risk reduction and creating a resilience culture in the Caribbean.

The Caribbean is region prone to different natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis and others. Most countries are Small Island Developing States (SIDS) which can be disproportionately affected by disasters due to their unique vulnerabilities. Climate change exacerbates the effects of disasters.

The recently started project will contribute to strengthening DRR monitoring capacities at national and regional levels in the Caribbean; increased knowledge and capacities for local resilience and community safety through…