Climate change impacts health, too
Published:Monday | July 17, 2023 | 12:10 AM
Dr Michelle Mycoo, professor of urban and regional planning at The University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, has highlighted that, along with climate change’s impact on weather, the phenomenon also has an effect on health conditions, such as in cases where, due to heavy rainfall and higher temperatures, vectors such as mosquitoes begin to proliferate and result in high instances of dengue and other diseases.
Mycoo, who was speaking at the recently concluded EU-Latin America and the Caribbean Forum - Partners in Change: Youth, Civil Society and Local Authorities, which was held from July 13-14, also noted that as the Saharan dust clouds are now a common occurrence affecting the region, children in particular will become overwhelmed as the dust plumes will lead to increased cases of asthma and other respiratory-related issues, as well as cause dehydration.
Given that many of the capital cities of the Caribbean islands are situated in the low elevation coastal zone, putting the population and infrastructure at risk, there is concern that cities and infrastructure throughout the region won’t be able to withstand the effects of climate change.
“There is a need for urgent action at the global level. Global cooperation is needed to ensure that the mountain loss of life and the potential loss of our biodiversity and infrastructure require that much more ambitious action be taken to reduce the carbon emissions.
Shawn Edward, the minister of education, sustainable development, innovation, science, technology, and vocational training in St Lucia, had expressed concerns over the high expense of rebuilding damaged property, which would be in hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars and be tough to come by during his opening remarks at the event.
Speaking about this, Mycoo said that, because a large percentage of climate funding still came through conventional bilateral aid channels, Caribbean SIDS had substantially less access to it.
“Climate change knows know borders,” said Sandra Guzmán, executive director of Grupo de Financiamiento Climático para América Latina y el Caribe – GFLAC (Climate Finance Group of Latin America and the Caribbean) for her part.
Diverse strategies needed
She stated that, to fulfil the differing needs of the Latin American and Caribbean region, diverse strategies must be taken. Along with a change in how cities developed, she said, there was a demand for programmes to be established to reduce poverty and improve health and well-being.
“We don’t want little one-term projects,” she stated, requesting instead long-term partnerships that would be beneficial to both parties.
Guzmán urged the European Union to provide more funding to help the region deal with the heatwave issue and other catastrophic natural events through the establishment of a financial system that does not result in debt.
“I would say we have a huge opportunity to learn from each other ... we need to stop seeing each other [from the] top down,” she added.
GFLAC is an initiative by a group of civil society organisations and academic institutions which work on the themes of climate change and transparency and encountered the necessity to face the fundamental challenges persisting in Latin America and the Caribbean.