A few days ago, the USA and China, in a rare move of cooperation, announced they would formally ratify the Paris agreement, together both countries account for approximately 38% of pollutants and emissions linked to rising global temperatures. While this is an important step globally, locally what does it mean for us in the US Virgin Islands?
Here in the USVI and the Wider Caribbean, our social, mental, and economic well being are all based and derived from our natural resources, in particular our coastal and marine ecosystems. A loss or reduction of the services these ecosystems provide us, is akin to pulling the rug from under our feet. In some cases those changes have already occurred; in 2005 we lost a significant amount of our live coral reef cover to bleaching. This year 2016 on current projections, we could be in for a similar experience. 2015 was the warmest in recorded history on land and in the ocean!
How will this affect us further? What can we do?
Marlon Hibbert is a Marine Scientist and Coastal Zone Management Practitioner with over 20 years experience and has worked in several islands across the Caribbean. Presently he works under contract as NOAA’s Coral Reef and Coastal Zone Management Liaison in the US Virgin Islands.
The lecture will be held from 5:30-6:30 PM in the Danish West India Guinea Company Warehouse. The Christiansted National Historic Site parking lot will be open until 7pm.
Please note that a meeting of the Friends of the St. Croix, USVI National Parks will meet from 4:30-5:30 pm just before the lecture in the same location.