AS changes in global climate kill coral reefs, wipe out fish stock and threaten the livelihoods of people across the Caribbean, the region’s people must wake up to the realities of climate change. This was a need that was brought home very strongly to this writer at the climate change workshop put on by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and Panos Caribbean in Vieux Fort, St Lucia just over a week ago.

The workshop, funded by the Commonwealth Foundation, targeted journalists and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from across the Caribbean. Participating countries included Anguilla, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Trinidad and Tobago.

The week saw the 19 participants in the workshop, who were hosted at the Skyway Hotel, exposed to the science of climate change and the range of negative effects of the phenomenon, including the 2005 coral bleaching event across the region.

That event, documented by Dr Owen Day of Trinidad and Tobago’s Buccoo Reef Trust, has led to the subsequent death of some of the corals that were affected. Climate change, as has been said in other Earth Smart columns, also poses the risk of warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, and the erosion of coastal zones, which threaten to undermine the livelihoods of people, such as fishermen. Already we are seeing some of these impacts. Fishers are complaining of a depletion in fish stock, even as the sea has reclaimed several beaches across the island, and is continuing to do so.

Given these realities, people need to get themselves informed about climate change and having done that, they then need to change their behaviour to help the region adjust to the changing climate.

So then, what is the advice this week? One would choose to borrow some advice from a brochure produced by the Sustainable Development and Environment section of St Lucia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, Economic Planning, National Development and Public Service.

At school:

. share your knowledge of climate change with friends and teachers;

. take care of textbooks and buy second-hand books, which reduce the use of paper and the need to manufacture more books;

. use containers to hold your lunch instead of plastic wraps; and

. do not waste things, such as soap and toilet paper, that are provided for you at your educational institution.

On the road/while driving:

. bigger is not always better! If you are buying or trading in a motor vehicle, give serious consideration to buying a more fuel-efficient vehicle, producing less emissions and saving you money;

. make it a practice to empty your car trunk when you get home since the extra load leads to higher fuel consumption; and

. ensure that your tyres are always properly inflated as under-inflated tires tend to increase fuel consumption, as well as wear and tear.