Above: St Vincent and the Grenadines (CJ Photo)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
It’s no secret that the Caribbean faces an existential threat when it comes to climate change.
But a new project in St Vincent and the Grenadines is taking a creative approach to the problem.
The St Vincent and the Grenadines Association of Music Professionals las launched a new project called “Education Entertainment to Influence Behavior Towards Climate Change Adaptation in Vulnerable Communities in St Vincent,” which looks to use drumming to influence behavioral change among Vincentians to mitigate the effects of natural disasters caused by climate change.
The project will use music as a means of educating citizens on the ways they can prepare and respond to natural disasters, according to Joffre Venner, secretary of SVGAMP.
That means tackling issues like blocked drains and improper waste management, the kinds of behavior that can exacerbate climate-change-led disasters.
The project, which is part of the of the Global Environmental Facility Small Grants Programme, is supported by St Vincent and the Grenadines’ National Emergency Management Organization and the Richmond Vale Academy Climate Compliance programme.
Michelle Forbes, deputy director of NEMO, said the project came at an “opportune time,” given the weather-related disasters that have impacted the country in recent years.