Responding to climate change in the Caribbean
Institute for the Study of the Americas
Much academic work has been done on climate change in the Caribbean, and there is huge interest in the subject from Caribbean governments, business and non-government organisations. This conference, organised by Emily Morris, PhD student at ISA, provided a unique opportunity to bring these groups together in the UK, to transfer knowledge between the different actors.
Policymakers are currently working to formulate policy to respond to the impact of climate change on economic and social development in the Caribbean, and the FCO and British Council are keen to learn from the research that is being done and contribute to a discussion about policy choices. An appetite also exists for such an exchange from businesses operating in the Caribbean, as many of the challenges posed by climate change have profound implications for business activity, particularly in the tourism and infrastructure sectors. NGOs, those concerned with climate change in general and those focusing on economic and social development projects in the region, have also welcomed the opportunity the conference provides. Participants will develop new partnerships, learn from each others’ research, perspectives and experience, and create new research networks.
Some of the most extensive and innovative responses to climate change in Caribbean agriculture have been in Cuba. But because Cuba is not in the Commonwealth Caribbean and has limited communication with forums in the US, it is under-represented at international meetings and its contribution to the discussion is often overlooked. So the KT funding provided an important opportunity for the preeminent Cuban climate change scholar (Dr Fernando Funez Monzote, University of Matanzas, Cuba) to explain what is being done there, and to join representatives of other regional governments, donor countries and NGOs to consider the significance of these initiatives for policy within and towards the region. Dr Funez is a leading authority on Cuban agricultural response to climate change, having worked for many years on sustainable tropical agriculture. He is currently concentrating on agricultural adaptation to climate change, and is active in gathering knowledge from farmers and disseminating it through his outreach work.
