3
lished its 2018 report entitled “Counting the
Cost: A Year of Breakdown” in which it analysed
the economic impact of climate-driven weather
events over the past year. The report concluded
that disaster could be connected to human-driven
climate breakdown, and the number of extreme
weather events worldwide can be linked to climate change. It stated that warmer oceans could
supercharge tropical storms.
Although weather events affect developed and
developing countries alike, in many developing
countries, the human cost of climate change is
much higher than the financial cost. The report
estimates the cost of the ten most costly weather
events as over $85 billion. Some of the most devastating climatic events in terms of damages and
loss of life over the decades include (1) wildfires
in California and Australia, (2) typhoons in
Southeast Asia, (3) flooding in the American
Midwest and (4) cyclones Harvey and Maria in
the Caribbean.
The decade also witnessed the proliferation of
numerous conferences at global and regional levels organised by the UNFCCC aimed at the
development and implementation of appropriate
strategies to reduce emissions of greenhouse
gases and the impact of climate change. These
conferences failed and did not achieve the desired
goal of a legally binding agreement to reduce the
emissions of greenhouse gases and the impact of
climate change.
Impact of Climate Change on Small
Island Developing States
Besides the severe effect of global warming on
population centres in coastal areas, it is essential
to note that possible increases in temperature at
about 2 °C by 2100 would have far-reaching consequences for ecosystems such as coral reefs and
other marine and terrestrial ecosystems in
SIDS. Researchers conclude that coral reefs are
vital to the economy and overall livelihoods of
SIDS, explicitly fishing and tourism (Bueno et al.
2008; IPCC 2014a, b; Hernandez-Delgado 2015;
Nurse et al. 2014); many youths are employed in
these sectors. Donner (2009 in Nurse et al. 2014)
predicted that in the future, the current accumulation of greenhouse gases (GG) in the atmosphere
could cause more than half of the world’s coral
reefs to experience frequent thermal stress by the
year 2080. Such a rise in temperature in SIDS
will be devastating to the tourism industry and
health system. Therefore, as temperatures are
projected to increase in the future (IPCC 2014a,
b), tourists may choose not to travel to tropical
destinations (Benjamin 2009).
There is also evidence that increased temperature will result in the escalation in vector diseases
and acute respiratory infections in SIDS (Nurse
et al. 2014; Hernandez-Delgado 2015; Abram
et al. 2019). Poschen (2015) supported the view
that there will be an increase in malaria, dengue
fever and other diseases as a result of an increase
in climate change. Besides putting more strain on
the already overstretched health system in the
Caribbean and Pacific SIDS, increases in diseases will exacerbate the economic tensions in
the regions due to the reduction in tourism revenue. Tourist would not come to the Caribbean
region if there was an increase in vector diseases.
This will also put further strains on the human
capital, in that large numbers of the youth would
not be able to participate in productive economic
activities due to sickness and those who are available to work would not find any employment in
the sector because of the reduction in tourists
(Benjamin 2009; Hernandez-Delgado 2015).
A further rise in temperature will negatively
affect the marine industry, thus affecting livelihoods such as tourism and fisheries. As discussed earlier, a temperature rise of 1 °C can
lead to coral bleaching (Benjamin 2009; Nurse
et al. 2014; Hernandez-Delgado 2015). Studies
show that the Caribbean coral reefs have a
higher biodiversity value than reefs in the
Pacific, Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean
regions (Benjamin 2009). Therefore, loss of
these reefs would have detrimental effects on
these important industries in the Caribbean
SIDS (UNEP 2008; Benjamin 2009), thus
increasing the already high youth unemployment problem.
An effective strategy for addressing the climate change problems in SIDS is to deal with
building the resilience of people and their communities to adapt to the impact of this phenomeImpact of Climate Change on Small Island Developing States
lished its 2018 report entitled “Counting the
Cost: A Year of Breakdown” in which it analysed
the economic impact of climate-driven weather
events over the past year. The report concluded
that disaster could be connected to human-driven
climate breakdown, and the number of extreme
weather events worldwide can be linked to climate change. It stated that warmer oceans could
supercharge tropical storms.
Although weather events affect developed and
developing countries alike, in many developing
countries, the human cost of climate change is
much higher than the financial cost. The report
estimates the cost of the ten most costly weather
events as over $85 billion. Some of the most devastating climatic events in terms of damages and
loss of life over the decades include (1) wildfires
in California and Australia, (2) typhoons in
Southeast Asia, (3) flooding in the American
Midwest and (4) cyclones Harvey and Maria in
the Caribbean.
The decade also witnessed the proliferation of
numerous conferences at global and regional levels organised by the UNFCCC aimed at the
development and implementation of appropriate
strategies to reduce emissions of greenhouse
gases and the impact of climate change. These
conferences failed and did not achieve the desired
goal of a legally binding agreement to reduce the
emissions of greenhouse gases and the impact of
climate change.
Impact of Climate Change on Small
Island Developing States
Besides the severe effect of global warming on
population centres in coastal areas, it is essential
to note that possible increases in temperature at
about 2 °C by 2100 would have far-reaching consequences for ecosystems such as coral reefs and
other marine and terrestrial ecosystems in
SIDS. Researchers conclude that coral reefs are
vital to the economy and overall livelihoods of
SIDS, explicitly fishing and tourism (Bueno et al.
2008; IPCC 2014a, b; Hernandez-Delgado 2015;
Nurse et al. 2014); many youths are employed in
these sectors. Donner (2009 in Nurse et al. 2014)
predicted that in the future, the current accumulation of greenhouse gases (GG) in the atmosphere
could cause more than half of the world’s coral
reefs to experience frequent thermal stress by the
year 2080. Such a rise in temperature in SIDS
will be devastating to the tourism industry and
health system. Therefore, as temperatures are
projected to increase in the future (IPCC 2014a,
b), tourists may choose not to travel to tropical
destinations (Benjamin 2009).
There is also evidence that increased temperature will result in the escalation in vector diseases
and acute respiratory infections in SIDS (Nurse
et al. 2014; Hernandez-Delgado 2015; Abram
et al. 2019). Poschen (2015) supported the view
that there will be an increase in malaria, dengue
fever and other diseases as a result of an increase
in climate change. Besides putting more strain on
the already overstretched health system in the
Caribbean and Pacific SIDS, increases in diseases will exacerbate the economic tensions in
the regions due to the reduction in tourism revenue. Tourist would not come to the Caribbean
region if there was an increase in vector diseases.
This will also put further strains on the human
capital, in that large numbers of the youth would
not be able to participate in productive economic
activities due to sickness and those who are available to work would not find any employment in
the sector because of the reduction in tourists
(Benjamin 2009; Hernandez-Delgado 2015).
A further rise in temperature will negatively
affect the marine industry, thus affecting livelihoods such as tourism and fisheries. As discussed earlier, a temperature rise of 1 °C can
lead to coral bleaching (Benjamin 2009; Nurse
et al. 2014; Hernandez-Delgado 2015). Studies
show that the Caribbean coral reefs have a
higher biodiversity value than reefs in the
Pacific, Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean
regions (Benjamin 2009). Therefore, loss of
these reefs would have detrimental effects on
these important industries in the Caribbean
SIDS (UNEP 2008; Benjamin 2009), thus
increasing the already high youth unemployment problem.
An effective strategy for addressing the climate change problems in SIDS is to deal with
building the resilience of people and their communities to adapt to the impact of this phenomeImpact of Climate Change on Small Island Developing States