Internationally recognized researchers in the field of global
climate change presented their findings and gave advice to Virgin
Islands policymakers Friday at a one-day conference on UVI's St.
Thomas campus.
The conference's keynote speakers were Dr. Leonard Nurse, a
University of the West Indies climatologist who was part of the
United Nations scientific team that enabled former Vice President
Al Gore to be awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for
climate-related efforts, and Dr. Ulric "Neville" Trotz, the senior
advisor of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center in
Belize.
"There is no argument whatsoever as to whether the climate is
getting warmer," Nurse said in his remarks. While some may debate
the cause, Drs. Nurse and Trotz both said the impact of global
warming will continue to be felt locally. Caribbean temperature
trends over the years have yielded drier dry seasons, shorter wet
seasons, and have contributed to rising sea levels and ocean
temperatures.
In recent years the Caribbean region has also experienced more
intense hurricanes over a shorter period of time than in the past,
Dr. Trotz said. According to both presenters, historical data
predicted it. In addition to hurricane intensity, researchers have
documented other climate-related events such as flooding and
mudslides, which have resulted in loss of life and economic
hardship.
UVI Vice Provost for Research and Public Service Dr. Henry Smith
said the conference had more to do with planning than predicting
doom."Planning can be expensive in the short term but imagine what
our society might face in the future if we fail to plan," he
said.
Forecasting weather events, developing early warning systems,
mainstreaming climate issues and adopting changes in land use
planning are a few tools that researchers offered the local
policymakers who attended. In addition to UVI researchers from the
Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, conference attendees
included individuals from the Office of the Governor, the Economic
Development Authority, the Department of Planning and Natural
Resources, the Department of Agriculture, Tourism, the Housing
Finance Authority and the 28th Legislature.
In the afternoon, hypothetical scenarios designed by the
researchers caused local policy makers to huddle as they looked for
solutions. The implications of rising sea levels on historic
downtown districts, for example, forced the participants to think
comprehensively about the future.
Dr. Lawrence Lewis, special assistant to UVI's Vice Provost, said
the scenarios gave policymakers a chance to become part of the
process. "It's done to reinforce the learning at the conference,
and there has been much to be learned at this conference." he
said.
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