‘Build Greater Resilience To Face New Normal’
The catastrophic hurricanes that ripped through the Caribbean recently were “likely to be the new normal,” and “provided the evidence of the reality of climate change,” CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque said.
The impact of the storms also pointed to the need for the Region to “build greater resilience to face the new normal,” Ambassador LaRocque said.
He was at the time delivering remarks at the opening of the 71st Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development [COTED] on agriculture that convened Friday morning at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana.
The Meeting is being held as the Region is grappling with the devastating effects of the two recent hurricanes on some CARICOM Member States and Associate Members.
The Ministers of Agriculture have prioritised climate change, risk management, building resilience and climate smart agriculture agenda over the day-long session.
“These climatic events of the past month were unprecedented. Never before have two category five storms ravaged the Region in one season,” the Secretary-General said.
“Never before has a hurricane moved from category one to category five inside 36 hours as Hurricane Maria did. Events like these are likely to be the new normal and provide proof positive of the reality of climate change.”
The devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria to the agriculture and fisheries sectors was a stark example of that fact, the Secretary-General added.
He pointed to the strong appreciation that Ministers of Agriculture had for the inherent fragility of the sector, especially to climatic events, and underscored the importance of rebuilding the sector in the affected countries in the shortest possible time.
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