Report Shows How Climate Change Will Affect U.S Caribbean

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The Caribbean Islands have withstood earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and various natural disasters, pointing to its inherent vulnerability to climate changes and forecasting its fleeting future. The U.S Global Change Research Program released its National Climate Assessment in November, including a chapter devoted specifically to what it terms the “U.S Caribbean.”

Reports Findings:

The report describes the U.S Caribbean area as consisting of seven islands:

  • Puerto Rico
  • Moa
  • Culebra
  • Vieques
  • St. Thomas
  • St. John
  • St. Croix

The human populations of this region are 3.4 million, and only 104,000 of that is in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The islands are characterized by ocean, marine areas, coastal wetlands, hills, interior mountains, and plains.

While the area has historically had stable climate, with hurricanes only during known seasons, patterns of disaster events have dramatically shifted. This is due to atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. As the air and the ocean temperatures rise, the water levels do as well. From 2000 to 2017, scientists have measured a sea level rise for the U.S. Caribbean of 0.24 inches. Worse Conditions of Climate Change will affect U.S Caribbean.

Rising Sea Levels:

Scientists predict that the water will continue to rise because of emissions, and the loss of glaciers and ice sheets. There is a belief that the rise in sea levels is higher in the Caribbean region than the global average due to changes in the Earth’s gravitational field, rotation caused by melting ice and ocean circulation.

The end of the century predictions range from one to two feet, and as much as nine to eleven feet on higher sides. Intermediate projections of a 6.5-foot sea level rise means that there will be drastic changes to the landscape we know today.

Power plants, sewage, pipelines for water, and various school and housing communities, including the three of the largest towns are all located in the potential “inundation zone.”

U.S. Virgin Islands:

The U.S. Virgin Islands are predicted to lose 4.6 per cent of its land base, all on the coast. The rise in sea levels will also contaminate fresh water sources and underground aquifers with salt water. As the water continues to rise, it is also warming on the surface. From 1955 to 2016, the waters on the northeast Caribbean warmed at an average rate of 0.23 degrees Fahrenheit per decade.

As the ocean absorbs more heat and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere it becomes more acidic, which can affect all sorts of marine life. Research from the study predicts that coral bleaching events will start occurring twice a year within a decade, and by 2090, Puerto Rico could lose 95 per cent of its coral.

Coral Reef Loss:

The report further warns of the implications of coral reef loss on “reef related tourism” in the Virgin Islands as $108 million per year. Overall the territory could suffer even greater loss if the beaches’ sea levels continue to rise, threatening their overall existence. In 2017 alone, two category-five storms occurred in the Virgin Islands. The report suggests that global warming contributes to the formation of these storms.

Related:

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About Author

Nadia Zaidi is a freelance multimedia journalist whose work is featured in several print and digital publications. She previously developed and hosted a show on youth issues for community television, and produces short-documentaries for public outreach. She holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Ryerson University.

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