Caribbean on its way to work on climate issues in collaboration with PAHO

Caribbean: Climate Change has been a key issue for the Caribbean region and PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) Caribbean organized “Let’s Talk, Climate Change & Health” to have the discussions on rapid change in the climate.

PAHO Caribbean shared the flyers on social media, where they mentioned several of the opinions by the people which say a lot about the effects that can lay adverse impacts on the people of the country.

“People are saying a lot has to be done to protect our health from the effects of Climate Change.” Climate change affects the air we breathe, the water we drink and the temperatures we live in. And, lots of health problems arise from climate change that makes it necessary to take action to combat it.

A survey was conducted by the PAHO and WHO (World Health Organization) among over 1370 youth from Eastern Caribbean Countries, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. From the survey, it came out that 80% of people mentioned how climate impacts one’s health and 70% people said of large-scale efforts to cope up with the effects of Climate change on health.

A survey was conducted in the European Union-funded CARIFORUM climate change and health project, 2022-2025. This project is designed with the collaborative efforts of the Caribbean Sub Regional Office and the Pan American Health Organization.

The figures which raise the concern among the individuals is that 81% of people firmly believe that people are more likely to experience health issues related to climate change. And, this is due to the contaminated waste and weather conditions like flooding.

Dean Chambliss, Director of the Subregional Program, outlines that climate change has an adverse impact on the health of people by every means, be it direct or indirect. As the Caribbean region is surrounded by water levels, several climatic conditions may be the reason for this, which may include sea level rise, heat waves, and droughts. 

Such conditions even raise the chances of giving birth to health issues, which may lead to a state of vulnerability in the region. However, the government is dedicatedly working towards it to bring positive change.

The sustainable agenda of various countries like Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis are the epitome of the tireless efforts of the authorities towards combating it. Considerably, Dominica is even on its path of becoming World’s first climate resilient country by 2030 and each passing day is taking a step ahead towards fulfilling it.