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Barbados’ success in dealing with some aspects of climate change has been captured in films designed to raise the level of awareness surrounding the issue.
The Partnership for Resilience Climate Change Film Series was launched last week at the Hilton Barbados to highlight what people across the region are doing to reduce the vulnerability of communities susceptible to climate change.
Film Director and CARIBSAVE Chief Technical Officer, Dr. Owen Day, stressed that there was a need to democratise the science of climate change, and improve information surrounding the topic so people could understand the issues.
He added that the film series highlighted the success stories of countries and what they were doing to turn around issues of climate change.
The films, which focus on Climate Change and Caribbean Tourism, Caribbean Fish Sanctuaries and Living Shorelines, also look at the vulnerabilities that exist in the Caribbean and focus on positive examples and ongoing work being done in the area to prevent the effects of climate change.
The 16-minute film on Climate Change and Caribbean Tourism was produced to increase the awareness of some of the threats facing the tourism sector in the region, and also to highlight opportunities for win-win adaptation strategies that provide immediate and long-term benefits.
It also highlights success stories from Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Belize where partnerships between communities, the private sector and governments were strengthening the social and environmental resilience of the region.
The second feature is a 22-minute film which focuses on Caribbean Fish Sanctuaries and is designed to increase appreciation of the potential benefits of fish sanctuaries or marine reserves. Developing networks of fish sanctuaries is considered an important adaptation strategy for the Caribbean region.
The third film is a 15-minute production on Living Shorelines, which looks at the importance of coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs and sea grass beds. It also looks at protecting shorelines and vulnerable coastal communities against storm surges and sea level rise. This video highlights examples of mangrove restoration from Belize and Guyana, and the benefits of combining both soft and hard engineering in coastal protection from Barbados.
Speaking during the event last week, Minister of Environment, Dr. Denis Lowe, stressed that climate change was a reality facing both developed and developing countries, and one which was threatening their mere existence.
He added that Barbados continued to do its part, recognising that coming out of the crisis, it could no longer be business as usual.
The films can be viewed on the CARIBSAVE YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/Caribsave, and later in the year on the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation’s TV8 and Caribvision.