The Caribbean Tourism Organization Is Making a Climate Resilience Push in Baku
The Caribbean contributes the least of any region to climate change. But it’s also arguably the most vulnerable region in the world to its impact.
That’s why the Caribbean Tourism Organization is making a push this week at the UN Climate Change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, hoping to champion the region and everything from sustainable tourism to renewable energy.
“Tourism is the heartbeat of the Caribbean. Yet, we must confront the stark reality that our islands contribute the least but are among the most vulnerable to climate change. The effects of rising sea levels, beach erosion, and stronger and unpredictable hurricanes impact not only our economies but also the very essence of Caribbean life,” said Dona Regis-Prosper, Secretary-General and CEO of the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization.
The CTO’s presence at the conference is “a critical step” in advancing climate-resilience tourism and “ensuring that global climate action addresses the unique challenges of our region,” she said.
That’s an area where the Caribbean has been succeeding of late, led in large part by the efforts of Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and the island’s celebrated Global Tourism Resilience center, which has become a laboratory for studying and innovating methods to deal with the impact of climate — and other worldwide challenges.
It’s essential for the nearly 45 million residents of the wider Caribbean who experience these impacts firsthand, from stronger hurricanes to rising sea levels.
Caitlin Sullivan began her career with Caribbean Journal as Arts and Culture editor before shifting to travel full time. She writes frequently on the Caribbean cruise industry, flight networks and broader travel news. Her most frequent Caribbean destination? Nassau.
