4th SDG Center International Seminar on Climate Action

The SDSN Caribbean and the SDG Center for Latin America the Caribbean held the 4th SDG Center International Seminar on Climate Action on March 4 and 5, 2020, at the Regional Headquarters of the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. Over thirty participants and presenters discussed climate adaptation and resilience strategies in Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS) and vulnerable farming communities in Latin America. They particularly focised on strategies for local economic activities such as tourism, agriculture and fisheries, and urban sustainability. Of particular interest were tools to use climate information in agriculture and health promotion and prevention activities.

Another key topic was scaling up renewable energy in the region, taking into account community engagement, market-based solutions and institutional incentives. Caribbean SIDS have some of the highest energy costs, but ample renewable energy potential. Young people from the Mona campus's UWISTAT (the Vice Chancellor’s Ambassadors Corps) also presented a forum on climate action, and there was a public forum on hurricanes in Caribbean SIDS. They considered the effects of hurricanes on education, migration, and human capital, with focus on mitigation strategies and economic recovery.

The participants also toured the renewable energy facilities on the Mona campus, among them the Basic Medical
Science building, the cogeneration plant, and the Centre for Advanced Research in Renewable Energy.