Climate change affects more than just the economies of small island developing states (SIDS); it also “threatens and endangers our very existence”.
This assertion came from Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Trevor Prescod, in his opening remarks at the second annual Caribbean Cooperative Measurement, Reporting and Verification (CCMRV) Hub two-day meeting at the Hilton Barbados, this morning.
Minister Prescod noted that the workshop, which seeks to facilitate the exchange of knowledge on MRV and transparency among Caribbean stakeholders, is important as SIDS seek to work together to share information and technical cooperation on how to mitigate climate change.
He believes that “2020 must be another significant year for addressing climate change and climate action plans”.
In addition, Mr. Prescod stated that “glaring transparency is a significant element of effective national and international climate action, for it is by measuring, reporting and verification that we can ensure that we are on the right track”.
He said the aim is to achieve a reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 50 per cent over the next decade.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Magdy Martinez-Soliman, believes that “in today’s world conversations about facts, credible information, mutual recognition and evidence-based policies are extremely important”.
He said in forums such as these, the sharing of successes and failures on implementation of climate action plans would assist SIDS to effectively develop their own plans.
Permanent Secretary in Grenada’s Ministry of Climate Resilience, the Environment, Forestry, Fisheries and Disaster Management, Roxie McLeish Hutchinson, who is the MRV Hub Steering Committee Chairperson, also shares that belief.
She stated that key to implementing climate change measures and participation in the UNFCCC Paris Agreement are measurement, reporting, and verification.
CCMRV Hub is a project of the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute. It empowers English-speaking CARICOM countries to efficiently establish MRV systems, develop GHG inventories, mitigation assessments, and track nationally determined contributions.
The CCMRV Hub was formally launched on February 5, 2019, and is housed in Grenada at St. George’s University. It includes 12 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The second annual meeting of the CCMRV Hub was funded by the UNDP and the Global Support Programme.