Guyana to benefit from Caricom-EU project to tackle climate change

Guyana is among several countries in the Caribbean that were selected for the Strengthening Climate Resilient Health Systems Project – a joint project of the European Union (EU) and Caricom to understand the effects of climate change and strengthen the health response.
The Project is being coordinated through the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) as a broad-based mitigation initiative to the impacts of climate change. The beneficiary countries are Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking on this new development, PAHO Director, Dr Carissa Etienne shared that there must be increased solidarity and collaboration to address climate issues.

“The Americas must embrace mechanisms for countries to come together around climate change…The project supports a cadre of new climate and health leaders. It promotes evidence for the frequently hidden health co-benefits of climate action and supports the implementation of health-related plans and resources for mitigation and adaptation for health,” she shared.
She said the Climate Change and Health Project – pegged at US$8.28 million – would also assist regional nations in accessing funding for coping with climate change. For this, she disclosed that PAHO would work to assist Caribbean nations in getting financial assistance through the Green Climate Fund, which was established to help developing nations respond to climate change.

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque explained that it was necessary to have this infrastructure in place, since health systems were not prepared to respond to these gradual changes.
“The WHO says that between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress…The direct cost to health is estimated to be between $2 to $4 billion per year by 2030. Tellingly, areas with weak health infrastructure, mostly in developing countries, will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond,” he positioned.

He asserted that in order to respond to climate change, Caricom Member States must have access to concessional development financing, with more generous terms than market loans. LaRocque added that financing should be based on the universal vulnerability index, which measures the exposure of populations to hazard.

Dominica’s Health Minister, Irving McIntyre testified to the fact that his country felt the effects of climate change first-hand and as a result, was aiming to become the Region’s first climate-resilient nation by 2030.
“While we have been calling on the developed countries to change their habits, we have been doing what we can to build resilience in our country. The Government of Dominica has directed investments towards economic transition and recovery efforts. We are well on our way to achieving resilience in terms of infrastructure, economy and fiscal policies, and resilience in our health and education system,” he expressed.