New approach to climate change considered in the Caribbean

Commonwealth countries – especially small islands in the Caribbean – could soon benefit from a ’regenerative development’ process.

The tentative plans were talked about earlier this month when Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland, welcomed high commissioners and climate change innovators to a conference in London.

She called on everyone to work together on technologies and approaches that have the potential to reverse climate change.

Regenerative development seeks to reverse the degeneration of ecosystems caused by human activities.

Threat of rising sea levels

The Secretary-General, in her opening remarks at the conference, noted that climate change can wreak havoc on ecosystems and societies.

Some of the Commonwealth’s small island developing states face obliteration because of rising sea levels, she said, and in other countries, climate change is causing famine, migration and desertification.

“The magnitude of the threat from climate change especially to those whose endowment or stage of development renders them more vulnerable and less resilient makes it necessary to shift from mere adaptation and mitigation, towards approaches capable of transforming climate change into a window of opportunity,” she said.

Scotland pointed out that the Commonwealth repeatedly sees countries affected by climate-related disasters that had undone decades of development gains, such as Dominica.

Mary Robinson, of the Mary Robinson Foundation climate justice group — stated that it was time that the narrative on climate change was altered.

“We do need a new narrative on climate change and it’s a narrative based on solutions,” she said.

“The idea of regenerative development to tackle climate change makes much sense because we need to get carbon out of the atmosphere as much as possible.”