In a bid to address the effects of climate change in the region, the Caribbean Regional Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) has launched its upcoming virtual Caribbean Regional Climate Conference that will be held on June 1-2.
The 2-day virtual event will educate the public on the widespread impact of global warming on small-island developing countries in the region to date, while showcasing solutions that have been undertaken and funded through the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), which has pledged US$1.2 billion to the cause.
Georgiana Gordon-Strachan Director of Mona Office of Research and Innovation, the University of the West Indies, said, “Climate change has always been a very big issue for our Caribbean islands and it continues to affect many industries and sectors. Many persons will note the obvious environmental impacts, such as receding coastlines and extreme weather conditions in the form of longer droughts and more frequent hurricanes. But what is oftentimes overlooked is the impact on local water supplies and the livelihoods of many in certain sectors, such as agriculture and fisheries. This is why we’re spearheading this important initiative.”
To this end, the organisation functioning as the world’s largest climate change adaptation fund works through PPCR Caribbean and the University of the West Indies to help developing countries integrate climate resilience into development planning and investment. This is sought and achieved by putting plans into action and piloting innovative public- and private-sector solutions to pressing climate-related threats. To date, $939 million has been approved worldwide and is being utilised to implement 58 projects in a range of countries, including from the Caribbean: Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica and Haiti.
In addition to hosting discussions and panels on the topics of climate change-related health issues, how climate change affects women in the Caribbean, the private sector’s role in adapting, and navigating a drier world, the conference will also offer a historical perspective on how climate change has affected the region, along with its response and successes.
PPCR
