Caribbean under threat!

On August 9, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis Full Report, Summary for Policymakers (SPM), and the Technical Summary.

This Working Group I report is the first installment of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) — series of global assessments of climate change and its impacts—which will be completed in 2022. It covers the latest scientific knowledge, painting a stark picture of climate change to date and what is to come.

A team of global science experts drafted the SPM of the Working Group I contribution to AR6. Among these experts was Professor Tannecia Stephenson, from the Climate Studies Group, Mona (CSGM) at The UWI, Mona; the only Caribbean small island scientist in the team.

So far, the scientific report reflects significant implications for the region, with UWI climate scientists raising a clarion call in the Caribbean for greater attention to be given to the report.

“The science could not be any clearer. The present and future threats posed by climate change are even greater than we imagined. We no longer have the luxury of delaying or deferring action.

“The Caribbean must act now to enable a secure tomorrow,” said Professor Michael Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology and Professor with specialisation in Environmental Physics, Caribbean Climate Variability, Climatology, Climate Change, and who leads the Climate Studies Group at Mona.

A consortium member of The UWI’s Global Institute of Climate-Smart and Resilient Development (GICSRD), the Climate Studies Group, Mona harnesses UWI expertise in climate change, resilience, sustainable development, and disaster risk reduction across all UWI campuses.