By: Staff Writer
September 23, 2022
The World Bank says that five Caribbean countries rank in the top 20 in terms of fatalities per capita with regard to extreme weather events with 80 percent of the total losses in the urban areas and cities within the Caribbean as they are at a high risk.
The bank in its Roadmap for Climate Action in Latin America and the Caribbean 2021-2025, report said that: “In rankings of the impacts of extreme weather events from 2000 to 2019, five Caribbean nations figure among the top 20 globally in terms of fatalities per capita, while in terms of economic losses as a share of GDP eight of the top 20 countries are in the Caribbean. Extreme precipitation events, which result in floods and landslides, are projected to intensify in magnitude and frequency due to climate change, with a 1.5o C increase in mean global temperature projected to result in an increase of up to 200 percent in the population affected by floods in Colombia.
“Many Central American and Caribbean countries are highly threatened by drought and increasing rainfall variability, with losses associated with drought in the Central American Dry Corridor extending from Panama up to southern Mexico estimated at US$10 billion over the last 30 years, one-half of which were in the agricultural sector. As a result, new WBG support for water resource management is a priority in Belize, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama, and many Caribbean nations. Precipitation deficits are also particularly serious for the Caribbean region, as several of its territories are on the global list of the most water stressed countries.”
The Caribbean faces a future of water scarcity, demanding creative investments in their conservation methods.
The climate crisis is changing the entire world. But its impacts are particularly severe in the Caribbean – the second most hazard prone region in the world. Rising sea levels, failed rainy seasons and increasing temperatures are threatening Caribbean nations whose economies rely on sectors particularly vulnerable to climate change such as agriculture, fishing and tourism.
In 2021, the World Food Programme (WFP) worked with over 1.1 million people in the Caribbean to support their protection against climate impacts. This includes providing crop insurance to farmers, using early warning systems to deliver assistance before disasters strike and rehabilitating community resources to increase resilience.
But the urban areas are being impacted as well as he World Bank points out: “As much as 80 percent of total losses caused by disasters in Latin America are produced in urban areas, with cities in Caribbean nations at particularly high risk.
“Land-use regulations can help reduce exposure to more concentrated risks, such as floods and landslides, by ensuring that new development occurs in places that are relatively safe or that can be protected at a relatively low cost. They can also help avoid unchecked urban development that leaves too little green space, as large impervious areas increase runoff and flood risks. When investing in urban resilience, civil works can often be combined with green infrastructure to deliver more cost-efficient solutions.
“Implementing risk‑based urban planning requires strong institutions that can ensure land-use plans are enforced. In addition to zoning and investment to reduce exposure to hazards, early warning systems and disaster preparedness have important roles to play in building urban resilience to residual risks. By reducing risks to assets, measures to strengthen resilience can open new economic opportunities and incentives for investment in safer areas.”
The report added: “In Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, and many Caribbean nations, where cities are at high risk from climate‑related extreme events additional WBG support for urban resilience, planning, and preparedness is an urgent priority.”