Climate Change Threat in Caribbean

Monday October 22,

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- The Caribbean tourism industry, the lifeblood for many island economies, needs to brace itself for stronger hurricanes, more frequent droughts and rising sea levels resulting from global warming, scientists said Monday.
The Caribbean, where more than half the population lives within a mile of the coast, faces some of the greatest risks from climate change, according to the expert panel at the Caribbean Tourism Organization meeting in San Juan.
"The region as a whole is really vulnerable -- it's sand, sun and beaches," said Ulric Trotz, science adviser to the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center in Belize.
Trotz said governments should limit development along eroding coastlines, protect natural resources including reefs and mangroves and take other steps before global warming accelerates in the coming decades, as some experts forecast.
Already, rising ocean temperatures have been blamed for killing off coral that sustains significant marine life and fueling monstrous storms. This year was the first on record when two Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes -- Felix and Dean, which both gained strength in the Caribbean -- made landfall in the same season.
While humans' role in global warming remains a source of controversy, panelists said the trend is driving decisions by investors on where to develop hotels.
"Even if you don't believe in climate change, it's part of decision making in the industry," said Daniel Scott, a climate specialist at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
Many have launched campaigns to emphasize sustainable or "green" tourism. Barbados, which already suffers a scarcity of fresh water, has required new golf courses to build desalination plants for irrigation.
To help adapt the tourism industry regionwide, Trotz suggested imposing a $5 levy on every visitor arriving by plane or cruise ship -- a method that could raise more than $60 million annually.
"We have to do something very urgently about resources for adaptation," he said.
Growing awareness of emissions released by jet travel could lead to a drop in tourists, according to Scott, who cited surveys from Britain that showed many believe the price of a ticket should reflect its environmental cost.
And as other regions grow warmer, the tropics might lose their appeal.
"We can't move these islands," said Brenda Ekwurzel, of the Washington-based nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists.