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Global warming leads to environmental changes in our planet known as climate change [1]. Climate change is a worldwide issue caused by the industrialization of the planet. Primarily, the burning of fossil fuels for the past century has increased in the atmosphere the concentration of greenhouse gases, like methane and carbon dioxide. These greenhouse gases trap more heat on Earth leading to the warming[2].
Climate change is a worldwide issue but it poses immediate threats to the islands in the Caribbean [3]. The Caribbean is composed of an archipelago of islands north of South America, Southeast of North America and East of Central America. This archipelago is divided into four groups: the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles, Lucayan Archipelago, Windward Islands and Leeward Antilles. The average weather in the Caribbean is tropical and air temperatures range between the 70° to 90° F [4].
The environmental changes expected to affect the Caribbean are a rise in sea level, stronger hurricanes, longer dry seasons and shorter wet seasons[1][3]. The greenhouse emissions of the Caribbean are negligible but climate change poses imminent threats to the economy, environment and life of people that live in the Caribbean [5][6][7][8][9]. The effects of climate change will be felt strongly in the Caribbean because they rely primarily on one or two sources of income, like tourism, that will be significantly affected by climate change [7][3]. In addition, most of the population in the Caribbean lives near the coast. For example, 50% of the population in Barbados lives near the coast [7][10].
Coastal communities of the Caribbean are threatened by losing their shores due to a rise in sea level because of climate change. According to NASA, the sea level is expected to be increase by 1 to 4 feet by 2100 [1]. This suggests that coastal communities less than 10 feet above the sea will be affected by climate change. In Latin American and the Caribbean, 29-32 million people will be affected by the sea level rise because they currently live above 10 feet above sea level. In the Caribbean, islands like the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago at least 80% of its total land is less than 10 feet above sea level [11][12]. Coastal loses could cost around $940 million to $1.2 billion in the 22 largest coastal cities in Latin America and the Caribbean [8]. Main sources of income, such as tourism, will also be affected because many of the main touristic attractions such as beaches and hotels are near the coast. In 2004, in a study it was reported that 12 million tourists had visited Caribbean and they estimated that 25% to 35% of the Caribbean’s economy relied on tourism [11].
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