CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE CARIBBEAN: IMPACTS AND WHAT WE ALL CAN DO TO HELP

The year 2023 was the warmest since global records began in 1850. July 2023 marked the hottest month ever recorded, and the period from June 2023 through May 2024 was the hottest on record for each of those months. This rapid warming disproportionately affects small island developing nations. Indeed, the unprecedented increase in sea surface temperatures—0.9°C above the mean value from 1991 to 2020—has led to mass bleaching of tropical coral reefs and rising sea levels due to thermal expansion. Moreover, the rapid melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets is expected to contribute to a significant rise in sea levels. Millions of people in the Caribbean, living close to the coasts, will be displaced by this sea level rise. Simultaneously, the warming of the Atlantic Ocean is likely to fuel more intense hurricanes and significantly increase hurricane-related rainfall across the islands. Globally, hundreds of thousands of species, including many in the Caribbean, face extinction. The current extinction rate indicates that the 6th Mass Extinction has not only begun but is accelerating. To mitigate this, we must reduce our dependence on fossil fuels to slow global warming. Fortunately, there are many actions we can take, both collectively and individually, to decrease CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions.