Climate Change
“The greatest threat affecting the development of the Caribbean is Climate Change.”
The Caribbean is made up of 2 dozen islands, having a total population of about 40 million people. We experience constant rains, rising sea levels, earthquakes, and tropical storms/ increased tropical storm intensity and are considered the most vulnerable, in regards to any sudden changes in climate. Changes in climate are usually due to the greenhouse gases which are emitted into the air from burning fossil fuels and the extensive clearing of forests, and even though the Caribbean has hardly contributed to any of those factors, it still remains one of the greatest factors facing the development of our islands, and here are a few reasons as to why.
The definition of the term climate change refers to “The lasting change or long term shifts of the world’s weather patterns/ average temperatures.” (UK Met Office). In the Caribbean, climate change affects our development on many ways. One of the main ways would be that the changes most times retard our economic growth and development. The Caribbean islands only have a few resources that they are able to use to bring some sort of foreign exchange into their countries; for example tourism, agriculture e.g. exporting fruits and vegetables), mining and manufacturing just to name a few. When sudden climatic changes occur, for example the sudden development of a tropical system, they usually damage the islands’ economic resources, and cause the island to have to spend millions of dollars in repairs and damages. This is particularly detrimental to islands economically – for farmers, for it can take many years for crops to re-yield their fruit after detrimental damage, roads may become inaccessible within a country due to landslides, wildlife within the country may be killed during the system/ storm, etc.
Another reason as to why climate change may be a great threat to Caribbean development would be because it can destroy the landscape of
The Caribbean is made up of 2 dozen islands, having a total population of about 40 million people. We experience constant rains, rising sea levels, earthquakes, and tropical storms/ increased tropical storm intensity and are considered the most vulnerable, in regards to any sudden changes in climate. Changes in climate are usually due to the greenhouse gases which are emitted into the air from burning fossil fuels and the extensive clearing of forests, and even though the Caribbean has hardly contributed to any of those factors, it still remains one of the greatest factors facing the development of our islands, and here are a few reasons as to why.
The definition of the term climate change refers to “The lasting change or long term shifts of the world’s weather patterns/ average temperatures.” (UK Met Office). In the Caribbean, climate change affects our development on many ways. One of the main ways would be that the changes most times retard our economic growth and development. The Caribbean islands only have a few resources that they are able to use to bring some sort of foreign exchange into their countries; for example tourism, agriculture e.g. exporting fruits and vegetables), mining and manufacturing just to name a few. When sudden climatic changes occur, for example the sudden development of a tropical system, they usually damage the islands’ economic resources, and cause the island to have to spend millions of dollars in repairs and damages. This is particularly detrimental to islands economically – for farmers, for it can take many years for crops to re-yield their fruit after detrimental damage, roads may become inaccessible within a country due to landslides, wildlife within the country may be killed during the system/ storm, etc.
Another reason as to why climate change may be a great threat to Caribbean development would be because it can destroy the landscape of