92
and CCA as well as an overview of the limitations of the conceptual framework, the practical
application to address CCA challenges highlighting the opportunities for future research in the
field and recommendations for addressing climate change adaptation challenges in the future.
Gaps in the literature and the conceptual framework will be discussed. The discussion is structured along with five emerging themes:
Theme 1: Exploring
the Vulnerability of the Youth
in SIDS Communities
From the data collected from interviews with
policymakers and FGDs with the youth, the climate change pressures impacting on the youth in
SIDS include increases in storms, SLR, temperature rise, drought, invasive species, diseases and
human interference. These climatic pressures
were verified through a mapping exercise implemented in six communities across the island. The
mapping exercise provided opportunities for participants at the community level to validate the
climate change pressures identified by stakeholders and the literature. Through stakeholder participation, anecdotal evidence of the severe
effects of climate change on the youth in small
island communities such as SVG in the past and
at present were presented. According to the literature, climate change is impacting negatively on
natural and human systems in all continents and
oceans across the globe, specifically in SIDS
(IPCC 2014b; Abram et al. 2019). It also states
that climate change has the potential to produce
substantial impacts across temporal and spatial
scales (Marshall and Johnson 2007), with significant consequences on local economies and livelihoods, particularly in SIDS communities (Mills
2005; Hernandez-Delgado 2015).
These climate change pressures are impacting
negatively on the lives and livelihoods of young
people and the natural environment of SIDS. These
impacts will worsen in the future due to increase
in sea surface temperature which will increase the
frequency and magnitude of storms and hurricanes, storm surges and erosion of coastal areas in
SIDS (IPCC 2014a, b; Abram et al. 2019; Nurse
et al. 2014; Hernandez-Delgado 2015). The rise in
temperature and increase in storms possess the
capacity to destroy entire communities in SIDS,
causing hardships to communities and contributing to rising poverty due to a reduction in food
production as a result of drought (Marshall and
Johnson 2007). The youth and policymakers in
SIDS are already experiencing difficulties due to
the severity of these impacts. They are also experiencing problems understanding the complexities
of climate change concepts, and the lack of understanding of climate science is a severe concern to
the entire SIDS population. This lack of knowledge is attributed to the absence of climate change
education in the school curriculum.
Direct and indirect human activities are a significant cause of climate change, which is altering the composition of the global atmosphere and
the structure of intricately dependent ecosystems.
The youth are experiencing a severe reduction in
their livelihoods as a result of SLR, storms and
drought which destroy recreation facilities and
housing stocks as well as their quality of health
due to the increase in invasive diseases. The overaccumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is a result of human activity, such that the
greenhouse gas levels exceed historical levels
that keep the Earth liveable (Nurse et al. 2014;
IPCC 2014a, b).
Socio-economic Impact of Climate
Change
As mentioned above, a large percentage of the
youth participating in the study claimed that they
had lost their livelihoods as a result of climate
change impacting on fisheries, agriculture and
tourism sectors. SVG once had a thriving banana
industry, which employed over 40% of the youth;
however, invasive species and diseases such as
Moko disease and black Sigatoka have destroyed
the industry. Statistics show that over 46% of the
youth are now unemployed (IMF 2017).
The severity of the impact of climate change
on agriculture and food production has resulted
in a scarcity of food and a steep rise in the cost of
6 Preparing the Youth for the Storm: Deepening the Discourse Around the Youth and CCA in SIDS
and CCA as well as an overview of the limitations of the conceptual framework, the practical
application to address CCA challenges highlighting the opportunities for future research in the
field and recommendations for addressing climate change adaptation challenges in the future.
Gaps in the literature and the conceptual framework will be discussed. The discussion is structured along with five emerging themes:
Theme 1: Exploring
the Vulnerability of the Youth
in SIDS Communities
From the data collected from interviews with
policymakers and FGDs with the youth, the climate change pressures impacting on the youth in
SIDS include increases in storms, SLR, temperature rise, drought, invasive species, diseases and
human interference. These climatic pressures
were verified through a mapping exercise implemented in six communities across the island. The
mapping exercise provided opportunities for participants at the community level to validate the
climate change pressures identified by stakeholders and the literature. Through stakeholder participation, anecdotal evidence of the severe
effects of climate change on the youth in small
island communities such as SVG in the past and
at present were presented. According to the literature, climate change is impacting negatively on
natural and human systems in all continents and
oceans across the globe, specifically in SIDS
(IPCC 2014b; Abram et al. 2019). It also states
that climate change has the potential to produce
substantial impacts across temporal and spatial
scales (Marshall and Johnson 2007), with significant consequences on local economies and livelihoods, particularly in SIDS communities (Mills
2005; Hernandez-Delgado 2015).
These climate change pressures are impacting
negatively on the lives and livelihoods of young
people and the natural environment of SIDS. These
impacts will worsen in the future due to increase
in sea surface temperature which will increase the
frequency and magnitude of storms and hurricanes, storm surges and erosion of coastal areas in
SIDS (IPCC 2014a, b; Abram et al. 2019; Nurse
et al. 2014; Hernandez-Delgado 2015). The rise in
temperature and increase in storms possess the
capacity to destroy entire communities in SIDS,
causing hardships to communities and contributing to rising poverty due to a reduction in food
production as a result of drought (Marshall and
Johnson 2007). The youth and policymakers in
SIDS are already experiencing difficulties due to
the severity of these impacts. They are also experiencing problems understanding the complexities
of climate change concepts, and the lack of understanding of climate science is a severe concern to
the entire SIDS population. This lack of knowledge is attributed to the absence of climate change
education in the school curriculum.
Direct and indirect human activities are a significant cause of climate change, which is altering the composition of the global atmosphere and
the structure of intricately dependent ecosystems.
The youth are experiencing a severe reduction in
their livelihoods as a result of SLR, storms and
drought which destroy recreation facilities and
housing stocks as well as their quality of health
due to the increase in invasive diseases. The overaccumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is a result of human activity, such that the
greenhouse gas levels exceed historical levels
that keep the Earth liveable (Nurse et al. 2014;
IPCC 2014a, b).
Socio-economic Impact of Climate
Change
As mentioned above, a large percentage of the
youth participating in the study claimed that they
had lost their livelihoods as a result of climate
change impacting on fisheries, agriculture and
tourism sectors. SVG once had a thriving banana
industry, which employed over 40% of the youth;
however, invasive species and diseases such as
Moko disease and black Sigatoka have destroyed
the industry. Statistics show that over 46% of the
youth are now unemployed (IMF 2017).
The severity of the impact of climate change
on agriculture and food production has resulted
in a scarcity of food and a steep rise in the cost of
6 Preparing the Youth for the Storm: Deepening the Discourse Around the Youth and CCA in SIDS