By Linda Hutchinson-Jafar
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad | 14 July 2024 (IDN) — Hurricane Beryl, a powerful Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph and torrential rain, swept through the Caribbean in early July, resulting in the tragic loss of seven lives and widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure across several small islands. The hurricane set a record as the earliest Category 4 storm ever recorded, reigniting concerns about the impact of climate change on hurricane intensity and frequency.
Beryl rapidly intensified from a tropical storm into a major hurricane, slamming into Jamaica, Tobago, and several islands that make up Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines before making its way to Texas and Mexico.
The early-season hurricane marked a foreboding start to what is expected to be an intense 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30 with forecasters predicting up to 18 hurricanes this year.
The Caribbean has faced significant destruction from hurricanes in recent years, resulting in profound financial losses and widespread humanitarian challenges. In 2019, Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm and one of the most powerful ever recorded in the Atlantic, struck the Bahamas, causing approximately US$3.4 billion in damages and obliterating entire communities. The devastation left thousands homeless and disrupted essential services.
In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the small Eastern Caribbean Island of Dominica, destroying over 90% of its infrastructure, including homes, schools, and healthcare facilities. The storm not only caused immediate destruction but also severely impacted the island’s economy, tourism, and agriculture, leading to long-term recovery challenges.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a global body of scientists dedicated to assessing climate change, predicts that climate change will lead to an increase in the proportion of intense tropical cyclones, along with heightened average and maximum precipitation rates. This shift is expected to result in more frequent and severe storms, exacerbating the risks faced by vulnerable regions, such as those in the Caribbean and other areas prone to tropical cyclones.
Call for urgent global action
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Change, has called for urgent global action in response to Hurricane Beryl. Stiell’s family home on the small Grenadian island of Carriacou was among the many structures destroyed by the hurricane’s powerful winds. He emphasized that the climate crisis is pushing natural disasters to unprecedented levels of destruction.
“We can’t sit by and watch while the spiraling climate wreaks havoc,” Stiell stated following the hurricane’s passage. “We need bolder national climate plans and speeding up the transition away from fossil fuels. We need strong adaptation plans, building resilient communities.”
Stiell highlighted the urgent need for significantly increased financial resources to support climate action. “Events like these show there are limits to adaptation, and we need a fully resourced Loss and Damage fund,” he said. “We need more climate action delivery, not climate despair. And we need it now.”
Dickon Mitchell, the Prime Minister of Grenada, described the devastation in the smaller islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique, stating that over 90 percent of homes were destroyed, likening the scene to “almost Armageddon-like.”
“We are no longer prepared to accept that it is OK for us to constantly suffer significant clear, demonstrated loss and damage arising from climatic events and be expected to borrow to rebuild year after year while the countries that are responsible for creating, exacerbating the situation sit idly with platitudes and tokenism,” he said at a press conference.
Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, voiced his frustration with the international community’s insufficient response to the climate crisis.
“We are not serious about dealing with the issue of climate change. And when this earth becomes inhospitable, as it is increasingly becoming, it will be too late,” Gonsalves warned.
Challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
He emphasized that the international community is fully aware of the severe challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other vulnerable countries. “They know they have to move to net zero, and they know they have to assist with resources for adaptation and mitigation. And you have a lot of talk from them, but you don’t see the resources,” he said.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister echoed similar sentiments, underscoring the critical need for immediate global climate action. He highlighted the disproportionate impact of climate change on SIDS, noting that despite Jamaica’s minimal carbon emissions, the nation is significantly affected by the escalating climate crisis.
“This hurricane further highlights the urgent need for global climate action and targeted support to enhance resilience against the escalating dangers of climate change,” he stated.
In response to the crisis, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States which represents 34 independent states of the Americas held a special meeting in mid-July to address the hurricane’s impact and discuss strategies for strengthening climate resilience across the Americas.
Secretary-General Almagro emphasized the urgent need for climate action and disaster preparedness in the Caribbean region. He called for increased international cooperation to address the impact of extreme weather events on small island nations.
An OAS resolution called for the immediate capitalization and operationalization of the “Loss and Damage Fund” agreed upon at COP27 and COP28, for assisting developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, in responding to loss and damage.
Calls for regional and international solidarity
Additionally, the organization called for urgent financial assistance to OAS member states for rebuilding and reconstruction efforts, as well as for building capacity for recovery and resilience to any future disasters.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Special Rapporteurship on Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights (REDESCA) also echoed calls for regional and international solidarity to work with the affected states to support reconstruction through appropriate financial tools, including access to climate finance, concessionary finance, and debt relief.
States should also address the risks and damages that people and groups face in this imminent environmental disaster. They must redouble their efforts to ensure the availability of economic and financial support, as well as technical and legal assistance to access them.
“Small island developing states are negligible contributors to global warming, yet are amongst the most affected by climate change, “the organizations stated in a joint statement.
“The increase in the frequency and intensity of hurricanes and other natural disasters is a direct consequence of climate change, which alters global weather conditions and exacerbates risks and impacts on the lives, health, and livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations.”
In the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl, the United Nations and its partners have launched a US$9 million response plan to provide urgent humanitarian aid to 43,000 people in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
“Swift action is imperative to meet the pressing needs of people whose homes and livelihoods have vanished overnight,” said Simon Springett, the UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, which includes Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Springett, who visited Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines after they were struck by Hurricane Beryl, said that the devastation is “immense and heartbreaking.”
“I talked to many families and individuals whose homes and livelihoods have vanished literally overnight. It is likely that utilities will take a long time to be restored.” [IDN-InDepthNews]
Photo: Grenada Prime Minister Dickson Mitchell ponders over the destruction of a house by the hurricane. Source: Prime Minister’s office.
