Climate change in Grenada

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Climate change in Grenada has received significant public and political attention in Grenada. As of 2013, the mitigation of its effects has been high on the agenda of the Government of Grenada, which seeks to set an example through innovation and green technology. [1]

Contents

Greenhouse gas emissions

Grenada electricity production 1980-2019 Grenada electricity production.svg
Grenada electricity production 1980-2019

Given its small size, Grenada is not a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, but does use fossil fuel to generate most of its electricity. The Government of Grenada has set a goal of generating 50% of its energy from solar and wind power by 2030, and is taking steps to abolish Grenlec, the state-run electric utility. Because tourism is a mainstay of the economy, there is also interest in exploring the use of seawater for air-conditioning. [1]

Mitigation and adaptation

Adaptation

As of 2013, Grenada had a US$6.9 million pilot project to adapt its irrigation system to climate change and conduct local and regional water planning, funded by the German International Climate Initiative (IKI). Groundwater depletion, lower water tables, disruption of water supply by hurricanes (such as Hurricane Ivan), [2] saltwater intrusion, and rising sea levels pose challenges for providing a consistent water supply for agriculture and tourism. [3]

Society and culture

Activism

In 2013, the newspaper The Washington Diplomat profiled Grenada's ambassador to the United States, Angus Friday, who has served as a "senior climate policy specialist at the World Bank." In his earlier posting as Grenadian Ambassador to the United Nations, "he frequently advocated for small Caribbean and Pacific island nations threatened by rising ocean levels." [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Grenada</span> Geography of Grenada.

Grenada is an island country located between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located at 12°07′N61°40′W. There are no large inland bodies of water on the island, which consists entirely of the state of Grenada. The coastline is 121 km long. The island has 15 constituencies and speaks English and Grenadian Creole. It is volcanic in origin and its topography is mountainous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Grenada</span> National economy

The economy of Grenada is a largely tourism-based, small and open economy. Over the past two decades, the main thrust of Grenada's economy has shifted from agriculture to services, with tourism serving as the leading foreign currency earning sector. The country's principal export crops are the spices nutmeg and mace. Other crops for export include cocoa, citrus fruits, bananas, cloves, and cinnamon. Manufacturing industries in Grenada operate mostly on a small scale, including production of beverages and other foodstuffs, textiles, and the assembly of electronic components for export.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Barbados</span> Geography of Barbados

Barbados is a continental island in the North Atlantic Ocean and is located at 13°10' north of the equator, and 59°32' west of the Prime Meridian. As the easternmost isle of the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies, Barbados lies 160 kilometres (100 mi) east of the Windward Islands and Caribbean Sea. The maritime claim for Barbados is a territorial sea of 12 nmi, with an exclusive economic zone of 200 nmi which gives Barbados a total maritime area of 186,898 km2 (72,162 sq mi). Of the total EEZ area, 70,000 km2 is set aside for offshore oil exploration. A pending application to UNCLOS has placed for consideration a continental shelf 200 nmi to the east and south. To the west, most of Barbados' maritime boundaries consist of median lines with neighbours. These neighbours include: Martinique, and Saint Lucia to the northwest, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the west, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela to the southwest, and Guyana to the southeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carriacou and Petite Martinique</span> Dependent territory of Grenada

Carriacou and Petite Martinique, also known as the Southern Grenadines, is a dependency of Grenada, lying north of Grenada island and south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Lesser Antilles. The islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique belong to the sovereign state of Grenada. Together they all form the 3-island country of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor-General of Grenada</span> Representative of the monarch of Grenada

The governor-general of Grenada is the vice-regal representative of the Grenadian monarch, currently King Charles III, in Grenada. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister of Grenada. The functions of the governor-general include appointing ministers, judges, and ambassadors; giving royal assent to legislation passed by the Grenadian Parliament; and issuing writs for election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island country</span> State whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands

An island country, island state, or island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically more stable than many continental states but are vulnerable to conquest by naval superpowers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Ivan</span> Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2004

Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Emily (2005)</span> Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2005

Hurricane Emily was a powerful early season Cape Verde hurricane that caused significant damage across the Caribbean to Mexico. It was also the earliest-forming Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record in a season and the most intense to form before August. At the time, Emily was the earliest-forming fifth named storm in the Atlantic on record; this record has since been surpassed by 2020's Tropical Storm Edouard, and again the following year by 2021's Hurricane Elsa. After forming on July 10, 2005, the storm moved through the central Atlantic Ocean before passing through the Windward Islands on July 14. Tracking generally towards the west-northwest, the storm gradually intensified as it traversed the Caribbean, peaking as a Category 5 hurricane on July 16, marking the earliest date for a storm to do so during the course of a given year. The system subsequently made landfall in the Yucatán Peninsula as a Category 4. Quickly crossing the peninsula, Emily emerged into the Gulf of Mexico and reorganized. On July 20, the storm struck Tamaulipas as a major hurricane and rapidly dissipated within 24 hours. The storm caused significant damage along its path, with up to $1.01 billion in damages recorded, primarily in Mexico. 5 people died in each of Jamaica, Haiti, and Mexico; 2 people died elsewhere, for a total of 17 fatalities.

The 'Economy of the Caribbean' is varied, but depends heavily on natural resources, agriculture and travel and tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dessima Williams</span> Grenadian diplomat

Dessima D Williams is a Grenadian diplomat and former Ambassador to the United Nations from Grenada who was reappointed to the ambassadorship in 2008. Since 2022 she has been President of the Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effects of Hurricane Ivan in the Lesser Antilles and South America</span> Effects in December 2005

In September 2004, Hurricane Ivan caused significant effects in the Lesser Antilles and South America, including 44 deaths and over $1 billion in damage (2004 USD), primarily in Grenada where it was considered the worst hurricane in nearly 50 years. Hurricane Ivan developed from a tropical wave on September 2 and rapidly intensified to become a major hurricane, passing through the southern Lesser Antilles on September 7 with winds of 125 mph (201 km/h). At the time, its typical storm force winds extended outward up to 160 miles (260 km) with hurricane-force winds outward to 70 miles (110 km), and the northern portion of the eye passed over Grenada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grenada</span> Country in the Caribbean

Grenada is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and several small islands which lie to the north of the main island and are a part of the Grenadines. It is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its size is 348.5 square kilometres (134.6 sq mi), and it had an estimated population of 124,523 in July 2021. Its capital is St. George's. Grenada is also known as the "Island of Spice" due to its production of nutmeg and mace crops.

In 2015, in Grenada, 97% of the total population had access to "improved" water, 99% in urban areas and 95% in rural areas. In the same year, 98% had access to "improved" sanitation, 98% both in urban and rural areas. Nevertheless, there were still, in 2015, around 4 thousand people without access to "improved" water and around 2 thousand without access to "improved" sanitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effects of climate change on small island countries</span>

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Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility Segregated Portfolio Company is an insurance company headquartered in the Cayman Islands. The sixteen original member-countries of CCRIF included participants in CARICOM, and the membership of the Board of Directors is selected by CARICOM and by the Caribbean Development Bank.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change in the Caribbean</span> Emissions, impacts and responses of the Caribbean region related to climate change

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grenada–Mexico relations</span> Bilateral relations

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grenada and the International Monetary Fund</span>

The island nation of Grenada is the smallest country in the Western Hemisphere. A sovereign state that is located in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea towards the southern end of the Grenadine island chain, the nation is composed of the island Grenada along with six smaller islands that lie north of it. Grenada is known as the "Isle of Spice" for its production of nutmeg and mace crops, for which it is one of the world's largest exporters and contributes vastly to the country's GDP. Grenada is a developing country that relies heavily on the support of other nations and organizations to finance many of its government projects. One of Grenada's partners is the International Monetary Fund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change in Fiji</span> Emissions, impacts and responses of Fiji related to climate change

Climate change in Fiji is an exceptionally pressing issue for the country - as an island nation, Fiji is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, coastal erosion and extreme weather. These changes, along with temperature rise, will displace Fijian communities and will prove disruptive to the national economy - tourism, agriculture and fisheries, the largest contributors to the nation's GDP, will be severely impacted by climate change causing increases in poverty and food insecurity. As a party to both the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Climate Agreement, Fiji hopes to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 which, along with national policies, will help to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Luxner, Larry (2013-11-29). "Grenada's New War: Battling Climate Change". The Washington Diplomat . Retrieved 2013-12-21.
  2. Peters, E.J. (2010). "Impact of hurricane Ivan on Grenada water supply". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Water Management. 63 (2): 57–64. doi:10.1680/wama.2010.163.2.57. ISSN   1741-7589 . Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  3. "Tackling Grenada's water problems". Deutsche Welle. 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-12-20.