48
Lots of dust is around because the earth and air are
getting hotter as the temperature continues to
increase due to climate change. High temperature
caused drought, which stunted our cash crops and
food. (Dus dey arl ova de place. De dutty tough an
de air ah gey hata an hata. Climate change mek e
temprecha hata. E high temprecha mek ahwe crap
dem dry up).
During the interviews, rather than looking at
the link between temperature rise and other climate stressors and their ensuing impact on the
country as a whole, policymakers and senior officials focused their attention on the effects of temperature rise on the tourism sector. They were
concerned that with the destruction of the agriculture industry by drought and invasive species/
diseases, the tourism industry is the only economically viable sector that is showing signs of
increased outcomes on the islands, especially
within the context that the economy is growing at
below 1% GDP.
All youth who participated in the FGDs said
that they have observed increases in temperature
year on year and such an increase in temperature
is impacting negatively on their livelihoods,
health and overall well-being. They highlighted
the direct impact of high temperature on the crops
they are growing for food consumption as well as
for export. Over half of the youths are of the view
that the scarcity in food production has resulted in
food items being too costly for most people,
thereby increasing nutritional problems and poverty. The temperature in some Caribbean island
states has already risen to the 1 °C mark (Benjamin
2009) and will have serious consequences for the
survival of coral reefs in the future. If the global
temperature is projected to increase over time
(IPCC 2014a, b), travellers may choose not to
visit tropical Caribbean destinations for a vacation in the future (Benjamin 2009).
Sea-Level Rise (SLR)
SLR is emerging as a severe problem in most
coastal communities. Policymaker and senior
official Y1 states:
The excess water in the ocean and seas are
encroaching on the limited land space of small
islands. We see evidence of encroachment in communities such as Georgetown and other coastal
communities. The increase in sea level rise would
result in causing more erosion on our beaches, and
coastal areas, i.e. an increase in sea level rise would
severely impact the tourism industry.
Like policymakers, over two-thirds of the
youth who participated in the FGDs are very
worried about the vast areas of land and coastal
areas that their communities are losing to the sea.
A young woman from FGD X1 indicated that:
The rough seas and sea-level rise are also affecting
the beaches along the coast. We are losing our
beaches. (De sea getin rof an rofa cars ah sea levo
rise. E sea ah tek arl e beach ah dem).
All policymakers, senior officials and youth
alike recognised the severity of the impact of
SLR on coastal areas of the island. Over 85% of
the population live on a narrow belt 5 m above
sea level and 5 miles inland, and 80% of infrastructure important for the economic development of the nation is located within this coastal
belt which makes the island extremely vulnerable
to the impact of climate change.
The constant flooding of businesses and facilities by the sea has resulted in several youth
unable to operate their businesses. In light of the
high level of unemployment among youth in
SVG, over three-quarters of youth expressed serious concerns that any further negative impact of
SLR on the tourism and agriculture sectors would
result in increasing the rate of unemployment,
thus further increasing the level of poverty. There
is no real evidence that the government has any
strategic programme to deal with the impact of
SLR. The literature supports the vulnerability of
the population of the Caribbean island states to
SLR, which threatens lives, property and livelihoods throughout the Caribbean region (Nurse
et al. 2014; Hernandez-Delgado 2015; UNEP
2013; Simpson et al. 2010).
Storms and Hurricanes
All policymakers and senior officials attested to
experiencing the increases in the frequency and
intensity of storms over the past decade and its
impending impact on the economy and other sec3 Implementation of the Conceptual Framework for Youth Adaption in Climate Change on SIDS
Lots of dust is around because the earth and air are
getting hotter as the temperature continues to
increase due to climate change. High temperature
caused drought, which stunted our cash crops and
food. (Dus dey arl ova de place. De dutty tough an
de air ah gey hata an hata. Climate change mek e
temprecha hata. E high temprecha mek ahwe crap
dem dry up).
During the interviews, rather than looking at
the link between temperature rise and other climate stressors and their ensuing impact on the
country as a whole, policymakers and senior officials focused their attention on the effects of temperature rise on the tourism sector. They were
concerned that with the destruction of the agriculture industry by drought and invasive species/
diseases, the tourism industry is the only economically viable sector that is showing signs of
increased outcomes on the islands, especially
within the context that the economy is growing at
below 1% GDP.
All youth who participated in the FGDs said
that they have observed increases in temperature
year on year and such an increase in temperature
is impacting negatively on their livelihoods,
health and overall well-being. They highlighted
the direct impact of high temperature on the crops
they are growing for food consumption as well as
for export. Over half of the youths are of the view
that the scarcity in food production has resulted in
food items being too costly for most people,
thereby increasing nutritional problems and poverty. The temperature in some Caribbean island
states has already risen to the 1 °C mark (Benjamin
2009) and will have serious consequences for the
survival of coral reefs in the future. If the global
temperature is projected to increase over time
(IPCC 2014a, b), travellers may choose not to
visit tropical Caribbean destinations for a vacation in the future (Benjamin 2009).
Sea-Level Rise (SLR)
SLR is emerging as a severe problem in most
coastal communities. Policymaker and senior
official Y1 states:
The excess water in the ocean and seas are
encroaching on the limited land space of small
islands. We see evidence of encroachment in communities such as Georgetown and other coastal
communities. The increase in sea level rise would
result in causing more erosion on our beaches, and
coastal areas, i.e. an increase in sea level rise would
severely impact the tourism industry.
Like policymakers, over two-thirds of the
youth who participated in the FGDs are very
worried about the vast areas of land and coastal
areas that their communities are losing to the sea.
A young woman from FGD X1 indicated that:
The rough seas and sea-level rise are also affecting
the beaches along the coast. We are losing our
beaches. (De sea getin rof an rofa cars ah sea levo
rise. E sea ah tek arl e beach ah dem).
All policymakers, senior officials and youth
alike recognised the severity of the impact of
SLR on coastal areas of the island. Over 85% of
the population live on a narrow belt 5 m above
sea level and 5 miles inland, and 80% of infrastructure important for the economic development of the nation is located within this coastal
belt which makes the island extremely vulnerable
to the impact of climate change.
The constant flooding of businesses and facilities by the sea has resulted in several youth
unable to operate their businesses. In light of the
high level of unemployment among youth in
SVG, over three-quarters of youth expressed serious concerns that any further negative impact of
SLR on the tourism and agriculture sectors would
result in increasing the rate of unemployment,
thus further increasing the level of poverty. There
is no real evidence that the government has any
strategic programme to deal with the impact of
SLR. The literature supports the vulnerability of
the population of the Caribbean island states to
SLR, which threatens lives, property and livelihoods throughout the Caribbean region (Nurse
et al. 2014; Hernandez-Delgado 2015; UNEP
2013; Simpson et al. 2010).
Storms and Hurricanes
All policymakers and senior officials attested to
experiencing the increases in the frequency and
intensity of storms over the past decade and its
impending impact on the economy and other sec3 Implementation of the Conceptual Framework for Youth Adaption in Climate Change on SIDS