7.3
INNOVATIVE CLIMATE FINANCE
A public health perspective on climate change and small island developing states: the Caribbean region
The Caribbean is not only vul- nerable to the extreme weather wrought by climate change, but also the ensuing increase in dis- eases and other knock-on effects to health and well-being. Laura-Lee Boodram, Shane Kirton and Lisa Indar , Caribbean Public Health Agency T
he Caribbean Public Health Agency is mandated to support its member states in strengthening national health systems and coordi-
saltwater intrusion into water reser- voirs. An October 2019 Intergovernmen- tal Panel on Climate Change report acknowledged that the targets set in the Paris Agreement and countries’ nationally determined contributions are not sufficiently ambitious, and will not bring significant reductions in cli- mate change impacts, particularly on the marine environment. Global tem- perature rises beyond a warming limit of 1.5°C is estimated to destroy up to 99% of tropical coral reefs, and current projections by the World Meteorologi- cal Organization predict that this limit could be temporarily exceeded as early as 2026. Increasingly extreme events There are two main pathways through which Caribbean populations and health systems remain highly vulner- able to the impacts of climate change. The first is mediated through natu- ral systems and overall ecosystem change; the other is linked to human activities, such as migration. In the first pathway, shifting weather patterns and extreme climate events, such as hurricanes, droughts, floods, heat waves and Saharan dust incursions result in adverse health outcomes. Those outcomes include
nating regional responses to public health threats, inclusive of the impacts of climate change on health. Carib- bean small island developing states are prone to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, flooding and earthquakes. Of the 26 members supported by CARPHA, 23 qualify as SIDS. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction indicates that the Latin American and Caribbean region is the second most disaster-prone region globally. Climate change is the main driver behind the increasing sever- ity of hydrometeorological events, as seen by the number of Category 4 and 5 storms experienced by the region over the past five years, as well as longer, more intense drought periods. The impacts from such storms include loss of lives and livelihoods, decreased human resources, heavy damage to infrastructure, reduced ability to pro- vide public services and increasing incidence of disease. Other impacts of climate change involve reduced food security through changes in arable land available for agriculture, rising sea levels, oceanic acidification and
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Financing a Just Transition
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