During the second term of the 2024/2025 Academic Year, Cari-Bois partnered with the Scotiabank Foundation to empower ten (10) students with climate journalism skills as part of the third edition of Cari-Bois’ Youth Journalism Project. For their second assignment, students wrote an article about the relationship between climate change and natural disasters. This story was written by Chianti St Louis of Speyside High School.
If the effects of climate change on the Caribbean are to be analysed, the increase in intensity and frequency of hurricanes, floods, and droughts have far-reaching consequences on the environment, economy, and livelihoods of the region.
For example, it has been observed that Trinidad and Tobago’s rainy season (June – December) has become more intense in recent years with unprecedented floods being recorded in some years like 2018 and 2022.
During these floods, and an increasing trend of above-average rainfall during rainy seasons in the county, the livelihoods of citizens are affected with farmers often losing large amounts of crops that incur noticeable financial losses.
But it’s not only Trinidad and Tobago that is vulnerable to these effects.
In recent years, the Caribbean has endured several powerful Category 5 Hurricanes, which has caused destructive floods.
In July 2024, a then Category 4 Hurricane Beryl destroyed or extremely damaged over 90 percent of the homes in St Vincent and the Grenadines according to a CBS news report published at the time of the event.
The report also highlighted that Grenada’s Carriacou and Petite Martinique islands experienced widespread infrastructural damage like power failures and contaminated water supplies.
In a BBC News Report on Beryl’s passage, it was highlighted that the Hurricane caused widespread coastal damage in Barbados with an estimated 75 percent of the country’s fishing fleet being affected.
Trinidad’s Northeastern coast and Tobago also experienced power outages and flooding from Beryl’s feeder bands.
There are several factors which make the Caribbean vulnerable to weather-related disasters.
When it comes to Hurricanes, most of the Caribbean is located within the Atlantic Basin’s Hurricane belt which increases the probability of these countries being affected by storms.
The low-lying coastlines of many Caribbean countries also make these countries vulnerable to storm surges and coastal flooding.
The destruction of mangroves in the Caribbean also leaves the coastlines of many countries defenceless against storm surges and overall deforestation only increases the probability of dangerous floods.
Trinidad and Tobago, and the wider Caribbean, can make investments in early warning systems and climate resilient infrastructure to reduce the effects of natural disasters.
Early Warning Systems that detects Real-time water level at gauge stations allows early warning of river flood inundation and response while climate-resilient infrastructures are more able to withstand the effects of extreme natural disasters.
Forming proper policies to help improve disaster response, and doing this in a manner where communities are engaged, promotes awareness of climate risks and adequate response plans.
With the Caribbean already experiencing natural disasters more intensely and frequently, the devastating floods, droughts, and hurricanes that pose a risk to livelihoods, human health, and infrastructure must be adequately responded to.
There must be a fully integrated response linking science, participation, and rigorous policy frameworks with a view toward increasing resilience while securing the long-term future for these vulnerable countries.
A very special thank you to the Scotiabank Foundation for supporting the development of young people through initiatives like the Cari-Bois Youth Journalism Project.
