11
ment is provided by the government to harness
their potential, the countries of the Caribbean
will benefit in the long run. Due to increases in
poverty and degradation of the natural resources
base of small-island states/communities brought
on by climate change, the World Bank Life Cycle
model definition is more appropriate for defining
youth in SIDS.
In reality, a large percentage of children and
youth who participated in the research are not
able to complete their education because they
are being forced to find labour outside of the
family setting to help their families due to (a)
failed crops and enterprises resulting from
drought, and (b) invasive species and other
impacts brought about by climate change (ILO
2010). Some youth may start new families rather
than returning to schools, Technical and
Vocational Education Training (TVET) or Adult
Continuing Education Centres (ACEC) to complete their education.
SIDS and the Impact of Climate
Change
Globally, SIDS contribute less than 1% of the
greenhouse gases, which caused climate change,
yet they experienced the brunt of the impact of
climate change (Simpson et al. 2010). SIDS
include low-lying coastal areas, facing characteristically similar challenges to Sustainable
Development, including susceptibility to natural
disasters, remoteness, external shocks and vulnerability (Crossly and Sprague 2014). The
islands face risks from both climate-related
hazards that have occurred over centuries, as well
as from new threats brought about by climate
change (Nurse et al. 2014).
Climate change will continue to have significant impacts on SIDS as changes occur in sea
levels (Simpson et al. 2010). Increases in the frequency and intensity of tropical storms and
cyclones, the rise in sea surface temperatures,
invasive species and diseases are already threatening the health systems, local economies and
livelihoods (Gomez 2013; Hernandez-Delgado
2015).
Over the years there have been extensive studies on the risks associated with climate-related
hazards such as tropical cyclones, drought, diseases and their impact on health, tourism, fishing
and other areas and how communities adapt to
these phenomena (Nurse et al. 2014, IPCC,
2014b). Little has been done to study the impact
of climate change on youth and other marginalised sectors of the society. Small island states
face unique challenges relating to the availability
of literature on climate change. For most islands,
there is little published literature documenting the
portability, frequency, severity or consequences
of climate change risks such sea- level rise, ocean
acidification, salinisation of freshwater resources
or associate adaptation measures in small island
communities specifically.
There are only a few studies available in SIDS
that offer projections of future climate risks such
as the frequency and intensity of tropical storms,
precipitation, ocean acidification and temperature rise but these also give an inadequate projection of regional sea-level rise. These islands lack
long-term baseline monitoring of changes in climate risks or to ground truth models (Voccia
2012) such as risks of saline intrusion, invasive
species, biological loss and the risk of large ocean
waves. Therefore, there is a need to implement
research to provide a body of knowledge on climate change impacts and adaptation measures to
build resilience to adapt to climate change. The
absence of “quantified published assessment of
climate risks for many islands means that future
adaptation decisions have to rely on an analogue
of responses to past and present weather extremes
and climate variability or assumed impact of climate change based on the type and shape of the
island,” rather than on scientific data (Nurse et al.
2014:1638).
Impact of Climate Change
on Livelihoods in SIDS
SIDS depend on agriculture, tourism and fisheries as their main livelihoods (Simpson et al. 2010;
Charenoux and Wolf 2013; Nurse et al. 2014).
This makes SIDS more vulnerable to the impacts
Impact of Climate Change on Livelihoods in SIDS
ment is provided by the government to harness
their potential, the countries of the Caribbean
will benefit in the long run. Due to increases in
poverty and degradation of the natural resources
base of small-island states/communities brought
on by climate change, the World Bank Life Cycle
model definition is more appropriate for defining
youth in SIDS.
In reality, a large percentage of children and
youth who participated in the research are not
able to complete their education because they
are being forced to find labour outside of the
family setting to help their families due to (a)
failed crops and enterprises resulting from
drought, and (b) invasive species and other
impacts brought about by climate change (ILO
2010). Some youth may start new families rather
than returning to schools, Technical and
Vocational Education Training (TVET) or Adult
Continuing Education Centres (ACEC) to complete their education.
SIDS and the Impact of Climate
Change
Globally, SIDS contribute less than 1% of the
greenhouse gases, which caused climate change,
yet they experienced the brunt of the impact of
climate change (Simpson et al. 2010). SIDS
include low-lying coastal areas, facing characteristically similar challenges to Sustainable
Development, including susceptibility to natural
disasters, remoteness, external shocks and vulnerability (Crossly and Sprague 2014). The
islands face risks from both climate-related
hazards that have occurred over centuries, as well
as from new threats brought about by climate
change (Nurse et al. 2014).
Climate change will continue to have significant impacts on SIDS as changes occur in sea
levels (Simpson et al. 2010). Increases in the frequency and intensity of tropical storms and
cyclones, the rise in sea surface temperatures,
invasive species and diseases are already threatening the health systems, local economies and
livelihoods (Gomez 2013; Hernandez-Delgado
2015).
Over the years there have been extensive studies on the risks associated with climate-related
hazards such as tropical cyclones, drought, diseases and their impact on health, tourism, fishing
and other areas and how communities adapt to
these phenomena (Nurse et al. 2014, IPCC,
2014b). Little has been done to study the impact
of climate change on youth and other marginalised sectors of the society. Small island states
face unique challenges relating to the availability
of literature on climate change. For most islands,
there is little published literature documenting the
portability, frequency, severity or consequences
of climate change risks such sea- level rise, ocean
acidification, salinisation of freshwater resources
or associate adaptation measures in small island
communities specifically.
There are only a few studies available in SIDS
that offer projections of future climate risks such
as the frequency and intensity of tropical storms,
precipitation, ocean acidification and temperature rise but these also give an inadequate projection of regional sea-level rise. These islands lack
long-term baseline monitoring of changes in climate risks or to ground truth models (Voccia
2012) such as risks of saline intrusion, invasive
species, biological loss and the risk of large ocean
waves. Therefore, there is a need to implement
research to provide a body of knowledge on climate change impacts and adaptation measures to
build resilience to adapt to climate change. The
absence of “quantified published assessment of
climate risks for many islands means that future
adaptation decisions have to rely on an analogue
of responses to past and present weather extremes
and climate variability or assumed impact of climate change based on the type and shape of the
island,” rather than on scientific data (Nurse et al.
2014:1638).
Impact of Climate Change
on Livelihoods in SIDS
SIDS depend on agriculture, tourism and fisheries as their main livelihoods (Simpson et al. 2010;
Charenoux and Wolf 2013; Nurse et al. 2014).
This makes SIDS more vulnerable to the impacts
Impact of Climate Change on Livelihoods in SIDS