Addressing Climate Change in the Caribbean: A Toolkit ... - CANARI

• Agricultural and industrial practices. For example, methane, the second largest contributor to
the greenhouse effect, is produced by rice cultivation, cattle and sheep ranching and given
off during coal mining and oil drilling, and by leaky gas pipelines. 4
What tells us that climate change is taking place
We have been experiencing unusual and extreme weather patterns the world over. More intense
storms in the Pacific and the Caribbean, longer droughts in parts of Africa and the Mediterranean
and more severe monsoons (torrential rains) in Asia have all been linked to climate change. So too
have disappearing glaciers (ice sheets or ice masses) in Europe and melting ice at the North and
South poles.
Climate change is responsible for the increase in the number of heat waves since the 1950s and for
the rise in sea level that began in the 20th century, after little change up to 1900. In many places,
seasons are starting earlier or later than they used to. In parts of North America, some animals are
moving northwards as their usual territory becomes warmer.
Climate change is not felt in the same way by all countries and regions
Climate change or “global warming” does not mean that all places are warmer and that the increase
in temperature has been steady from one day to the next or even one year to the next. The
temperature has gone up and down over this period of time, and weather conditions have been
inconsistent. For example, in summer 2002 there were rains and widespread floods in Europe, but
one year later there were record-breaking heat waves and droughts that left 35,000 people dead. 5
However, the big picture shows an overall trend of:
• higher temperatures worldwide, including more hot days and nights;
• changes in precipitation (rainfall and snow);
• increases in sea level; and
• more unusual and frequent extreme weather.
These in turn have affected people, plants and animals, as well as many finely balanced and
complex relationships in nature.
Extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts, floods (and the landslides that often
accompany them), storms, hurricanes, coastal surges, and cold snaps, are becoming not only
stronger, but more frequent too. Severe weather that would have been experienced once in every 100
years, for example, might now be experienced every 10 years, or even more frequently.
As the Earth gets warmer it is likely to be wetter, but not necessarily in all places. More heat means
faster evaporation of water into the atmosphere, which turns into moisture for rain, snow or hail
through the process of condensation. Changes in precipitation will vary from place to place and
areas that now get lots of rain are likely to get more, while dry areas are expected to become drier.
4
United Nations Environment Programme - World Meteorological Organization. 1997. Common questions about climate change cited by U.S. Global Change
Research Information Office. http://www.gcrio.org
5
IPCC. 2007. IPCC. 2007. Climate Change 2007: The physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M.Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. United
Kingdom and New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University and Stern, N. 2007. The economics of climate change: The Stern review. United Kingdom: Cambridge
University Press
Climate Change Community Toolkit/Christian Aid (Caribbean) 5