CIMH workshops focus on forecasting, impact of climate change
Representatives from across various sectors in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will on Friday 2 June, wrap up meetings in St. Vincent and the Grenadines that focused on forecasting and the impact of climate change of sectors including health, tourism, agriculture and energy.
The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) held the 2017 Wet Season Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum (CariCOF) workshops with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada. In addition to the Forum, the final two days of the week-long workshops focused on the Building Regional Climate Capacity in the Caribbean (BRCCC) Programme’s Early Warning Information Systems Across Climate Timescaes (EWISACTS).
2017 Wet / Hurricane Season forecast to be announced soon. CIMH’s Dr. Farrell speaks at CariCOF before announcement. pic.twitter.com/kwARLhQ6Yl — CIMH (@CIMHbb) May 31, 2017
Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. the Hon. Ralph Gonsalves addressed participants on Wednesday morning. In his wide-ranging address, he reflected on the impact of natural disasters on the small states of the Caribbean, and the level of funding that was required to recover from them. He said that the Region had a responsibility to adapt to climate change and to continue to pursue efforts to mitigate its effects. He praised the CIMH for its work and pointed out that the certainty of climates of the past was no longer applicable, hence the science of meteorology was necessary.
SVG Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves discusses why using climate data is key to building climate adaptation & resilience in region. pic.twitter.com/GzDLdAu2LN
— CIMH (@CIMHbb) May 31, 2017
He urged participants not to “take storms for granted” and to ensure that the best was done to “prepare yourselves”.