THE Department of Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5Cs), is hosting a national training workshop at the Bay Gardens Inn on the Caribbean Weather Impacts Group (CARIWIG) Portal and climate change impacts tools.
The workshop, which opened on June 19 and runs until June 30, will be used to create scenarios for hazard management, evaluating drought, and generating weather scenarios for impact studies.
Upon completion of the training, groups will be formed and tasked to use one of the tools to conduct a scientific assessment and develop a policy brief on a practical event in the country over a six-month period, following which they will present the outputs to relevant line ministries and departments. Technical support and guidance will be provided by the 5Cs and related facilitators over this period.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS), like Saint Lucia, are particularly threatened by climate change, and face the prospect of partial or total inundation by sea level rise, more frequent and intense tropical storms, increased coastal erosion and saline intrusion, higher air and sea temperatures, and more erratic rainfall conditions. These and other potential impacts exacerbate current vulnerabilities and pose serious challenges to ecosystems, livelihoods and economies.
Some factors, including a high population density and infrastructure in coastal regions, poor land use and ongoing land and natural resource degradation processes, high levels of unemployment and the country’s reliance on imported food and fuel, exacerbate Saint Lucia’s vulnerability to climate change.
As these changes have implications for the country’s population, natural resources and economy, monitoring of climate change impacts is necessary for assisting in the generation of scientific information and analysis to make informed decisions for policy formulation and implementation.