Sandy Bay hosts enhancing climate resilience project

The first phase of the Enhancing Climate Resilience in the Caribbean through the Improvement of Caribbean Climate Outlook Forums (CARICOF) project began on December 4 at the Sandy Bay Seventh Day Adventist Church.

The consultancy team includes Dr Wazita Scott and Jodi-Ann Petrie from the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) as well as local professionals with years of experience in disaster management and community development.

St Vincent and the Grenadines will host the first phase of the project with emphasis being placed on the indigenous communities of Sandy Bay, Owia, Fancy, and surrounding communities.

Dr Andrew Simmons, who will lead the local consultancy team and is an expert in climate change matters, notes that doing this type of work with the indigenous communities helps to “raise the awareness of young people, indigenous and marginalized people, so that they can prepare themselves to deal with the impact, they can build their resilience and so on to deal with these climatic changes.”

He added: “By empowering these communities with accurate and timely climate information, we strive to reduce their vulnerability and strengthen their preparedness. As we are aware, these communities are very susceptible to various climatic issues over the years. In 2018 there was severe flooding that caused the communities north of the dry river to be cut off from the rest of the island. Prior to this event in 2009-2010 the island experienced a severe drought episode and then felt the impact of Hurricane Tomas in 2010 which had a significant impact on the indigenous communities.”

Dr Simmons explains that the initiative aims to develop and test an innovative approach to participatory climate services development and delivery at the community level, with a focus on vulnerable rural communities, including indigenous populations.

The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) in conjunction with the local meteorological offices in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, and Guyana have identified and developed this project which aims to address the pressing need for climate resilience in the Caribbean region by standardizing and enhancing climate services, specifically climate early warning information, for communities that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

This project focuses not only on the Garifuna community in St Vincent and the Grenadines, but would also focus on the Kalinago people of Dominica, as well as the St Cuthbert’s Mission Amerindian village in Guyana. These communities often bear the brunt of extreme weather events and are disproportionately impacted by climate change. Through this project, the team would be involved in in-depth needs assessments and an understanding of how climate early warning information can effectively reduce the vulnerability of these communities.

It was further pointed out that through a participatory approach, local knowledge and indigenous wisdom will be integrated into the development and delivery of climate services. The project is excited to collaborate with expert researchers, community leaders, and stakeholders in the region to implement this project and create a positive impact. With the support from international partners and the commitment of the participating communities, the CIMH project aims to serve as a model for advancing climate resilience efforts in the Caribbean.