Risk of vector-borne diseases will increase with climate change– Premier
He reminded, however, that while the VI contributes less than a drop in the bucket to the problem, it stands on the frontlines of the climate crisis, experiencing the worst and most severe impacts soonest during a December 8, 2023, press conference.
“Gone are the days when there is a debate about whether climate change is real. We are now living the reality of climate change. Without drastic action, the world is on a path to exceeding global warming of 1.5°C within the next 10 years. In such a world, the unbearable heat of this summer will become the norm year-round. Fragile, temperature-sensitive ecosystems like coral reefs are at high risk of disappearing. Mass sargassum landings will persist.”
He reminded that the risk of dengue and other vector-borne diseases will increase and new diseases will emerge, “We could experience ‘runaway’ sea level rise and lose our beaches, low-lying coastal communities, and coastal infrastructure. Even with a warming of 1.5°C, flash floods like the one we experienced on August Monday 2017 will become more common.”
He said on the other extreme, the world can also expect more frequent and extreme droughts. Hurricanes like Irma and Maria will not be freak events but the hurricanes of our future.
Climate change a threat - Premier
“How many times can we afford to lose 200% of our GDP and take out hundreds of millions of dollars in debt to recover?,” the Premier added. The Premier said with climate change set to impact every person, business, and economic sector in VI, Climate change it is now a common denominator that has the power to cut down and set back any development strides we make.
"If we are to survive and thrive then, we must invest in adaptation - that is, actions to ensure our critical ecosystems, infrastructure, facilities, communities, and economic sectors are more resilient to the various impacts of climate change.”
He said that adaptation remains costly, more than we can afford. “If we are to adapt then, we must be able to access the scale of financing that we will require over time, on the order of billions of dollars, from the developed countries that have created the climate crisis.”
Meanwhile, Dr Whealtey said the recent attendance to COP28 which was the 28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change means COP is now a priority for small island development states. The Primer also shared plans that the Government will be doing more to go green and adopt sustainable practices in the VI.
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15 Responses to “Risk of vector-borne diseases will increase with climate change– Premier”
The problem is right in front of you m’son.
pay more attention to home affairs