THE Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is hosting three public workshops in islands across the Caribbean to engage civil society in preparing for the likely economic impacts of climate change on critical sectors.

Two of the three workshops took place this past week – one in the Bahamas on March 3 and the other in St Kitts on March 6. The third will take place on March 10 in Trinidad.

“Participants will explore regional as well as local economic impacts of climate change and various mitigation and adaptation options,” said a release from ECLAC. “The sessions will consist of a press conference followed by a seminar on climate change in the Caribbean. The organisers seek to mobilise various stakeholders in building solutions to this challenge.”

Speakers will include:

. ECLAC director Neil Pierre;

. director of the Bahamas Environment, Science and Technology Commission, Phillip Weech;

. director of the Department of Meteorology at the Bahamas Ministry of Environment, Arthur Rolle;

. director of the Department of Physical Planning and the Environment at the St Kitts Ministry of Sustainable Development, Randolph Edmeade;

. Conservation officer of the Department of Physical Planning and the Environment at the St Kitts Ministry of Sustainable Development, June Hughes; and

. deputy permanent secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Planning, Housing and the Environment, Joy Creese.

Head of the Multilateral Environment Agreements Unit at the Ministry of Planning, Housing and the Environment in Trinidad and Tobago, Kishan Kumarsingh and sustainable development officer at ECLAC, Charmaine Gomes, are also down to speak.

The seminar will be facilitated by ECLAC consultants Jan Voordouuw and Indi-Mclymont-Lafayette, director of media and environment of Panos Caribbean, a regional NGO.

The Caribbean is regarded as one of the regions that will be affected the worst by climate change. Because the region contributes less than 0.1 per cent to global greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to, and mitigating the effects of climate change have to be the primary focus of the response.

Rapid action by governments, private sector as well as the rest of society is urgent in light of a number of predicted changes.

Experts predict for the Caribbean a significant rise in atmospheric temperature, among others, resulting in stress on agriculture and fisheries, as well as increasing vector-borne diseases. The level of the sea is expected to rise, affecting island societies heavily since much economic and cultural resources are based in coastal zones. The acidity of the seas will increase, negatively impacting reefs and fisheries. Further, hurricanes and tropical storms are expected to be more intense, with larger peak wind speeds and heavier precipitation.

In light of all these challenges, ECLAC is currently conducting a regional review of the economics of climate change in the Caribbean. The review is financially supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), which was established in 2005 by Caricom in order to lead the subregion’s response to climate change, is an important participant in the project.

The Caribbean Review will be a regional follow-up to a Global review done by Sir Nicholas Stern for the British government in 2006. The Stern Review is regarded as the most comprehensive review ever carried out on the economics of climate change. It, however, did not assess the economic impacts on the Caribbean.

The first phase of the project, scheduled for September 2008 to March 2009, establishes the scope and feasibility of carrying out the pertinent studies on the costs and benefits of taking action with regard to adapting to and mitigating climate change in the Caribbean, compared to a “business as usual” scenario.

The second phase includes the preparation of country-by-country cost-benefit studies on adaptation and mitigation policies. The third phase aims to broaden these assessments by looking at regional interdependence and analysing the different scenarios.

“Ultimately, this information should provide policy recommendation for countries and regional bodies. The areas already being identified by the review to address climate change impacts include: tourism; water; agriculture (food security); health; coastal development, biodiversity and Caribbean livelihoods,” said the release.