- Caribbean region’s sea level rise 10 % higher than global average
The Caribbean region’s coasts are witnessing a 10% increase in sea level above the global average. This was revealed by St. Vincent’s Minister of Tourism at COP28.
Minister James made the startling revelation while delivering a keynote address at the Climate Action Zone on the margins of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 28th Conference of Parties, held last week at the Madinat Jumeirah Conference Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
According to the tourism and sustainable development minister, the region’s coastline tourism infrastructure is threatened by sea level rise as a result of the negative effects of Climate Change. “There is still an urgent need to scale up climate action.” Storm and hurricane damage and loss are already affecting the region’s infrastructure, according to Minister James.
Minister James emphasised the importance of acting quickly to confront the world’s greatest threat, stressing that climate change has impacted Small Island Developing States (SIDS). “Coastal erosion, limited resources in protecting and maintaining sea defences and waterfronts, and marine resource degradation pose significant challenges to Small Island Developing States,” Minister James stated.
James stated, citing the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that “unless there are immediate and deep emission reductions across all sectors, limiting global warming to 1.5°C will be beyond reach.”
While the world struggles to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, oil, coal, and natural gas subsidies cost the equivalent of 7.1 percent of global GDP, according to the minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines. “That’s more than governments spend annually on education and about two thirds of what they spend on healthcare,” he went on to say.
At the UNFCCC 28th Conference of Parties, the Climate Action Zone initiative functioned as a catalyst to accelerate climate adaptation and resilience through capacity building, problem-solving, and matching to assure a sustainable future for islands.
Dr. Hyginus ‘Gene’ Leon, President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), The Rt. Hon Patricia Scotland KC, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, His Excellency Surangel S. Whipps Jr., President of the Republic of Palau, and the Hon. Sir Alok Sharma, Member of Parliament and COP26 President, UK Government were among those who spoke at the event.
