Trinidad and Tobago Climate Change and Disaster Risk
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Trinidad and Tobago Climate Location
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, with latitudes ranging from 10 to 11.5 degrees north and longitudes ranging from 60 to 62 degrees west. In the Lesser Antilles, the country is located northeast of Venezuela and south of Grenada. Barbados to the northeast and Guyana to the southeast share ocean borders.
The island of Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two main islands, with a total area of 5,131 km2. Tobago is substantially smaller, accounting for only 6% of the total land area and 4% of the population. The country’s population is estimated to be around 1.4 million people (2020). Oil and gas production are the mainstays of the country’s economy.
The country is vulnerable to temperature rises, precipitation variations, and sea level rise as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS). Increasing floods, increased storm frequency and intensity, slope erosion, and loss of coastal habitats are among the other threats.
Trinidad and Tobago Climate Backgroumd
Trinidad and Tobago experiences two unique seasonal climate types as a result of their southerly location: tropical maritime from January to May, with warm days and cool nights and low rainfall; and tropical maritime from June to August, with warm days and cold nights but low rainfall.
Convection and equatorial weather systems cause higher rainfall at night; and a modified moist equatorial climate between June and December, typified by hot humid days and nights, low wind speeds, and increased rainfall (Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Services, 2009). Two unique seasons occur from these two climate types: a dry season from January to May and a wet or rainy season from June to December.
Temperature
In comparison to 1961–1990 and 1971–1990, annual mean temperature increased by 0.8 and 0.5°C, respectively, from 1981 to 2010.
Precipitation
For the years 1950 to 2015, the annual and seasonal rainfall changes are not statistically significant. Warmer temperatures, on the other hand, are changing the water cycle, resulting in variations in rainfall during cyclone season.
In each decade (1981–1990, 1991–2000, and 2001–2010), the number of tropical storms (including severe tropical cyclones) that hit Tonga increased.
Trinidad and Tobago Climate Change
Extreme weather phenomena such as storms and hurricanes are expected to become more common as a result of climate change. Climate change must be integrated into water management strategies, drought management, and flood damage reduction initiatives, according to the First National Communication for Trinidad and Tobago, which was issued on November 30, 2001. Coastal resources, agriculture, forestry, health, and food security are all susceptible areas. These industries will also require adaptation measures.
Droughts, heatwaves, flooding, and other extreme weather events have already increased global temperatures by 1°C above pre-industrial levels, harming the livelihoods of millions. Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the rest of the Caribbean, has not been spared. The persistent vulnerability of Trinidad and Tobago and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to the impacts of climate change is demonstrated by recent category 5 storms and major flooding caused by record rainfall occurrences.
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on the implications of 1.5°C global warming advocates for immediate action to halve global carbon dioxide emissions from 2010 levels by 2030, and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. These efforts are required to diverge from the present emissions trajectory, which would result in average global temperatures rising by at least 3°C by the end of the century, unleashing the most severe effects of global warming.
What does this mean for Trinidad and Tobago, a small island developing state particularly vulnerable to climate change and whose economy is heavily reliant on oil and gas revenues and subsidies? This conversation brings together climate change professionals and international climate change discussions, as well as local actors who have been increasing awareness in their industries through film, the arts, and community outreach. The event is being held in collaboration with The Institute for Small Islands and Climate Analytics gGmbH, with support from the Ministry of Planning and Development.
Trinidad and Tobago Climate Change and Risks
Weather and climate have a direct impact on water supply. In addition to the crucial water input from precipitation on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis, evapotranspiration losses must be considered. High temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds, in particular, can effectively remove water from the land surface. Water demand is also predicted to vary as a result of climate change, particularly as it relates to rapidly changing demographic and economic conditions. The water sector faces increased operational problems and risk as a result of these changes.
At the local and regional level, climate variability and change affect irrigation, crops and land management, animals, rural transportation, storage, and processing. Climate change is increasing the hazards and functioning as a threat multiplier, especially in terms of water supply and changes in the thermal environment. Climate change is manifesting itself in many regions as higher moisture changes, increased dryness when dry, and increased wetness when wet.
Climate fluctuation and change are inextricably related to the energy sector. On the one hand, global energy production contributes significantly to the drivers of climate change, especially greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, variations in energy supply (e.g., disruption of operations and distribution) and demand expose it to a variety of climatic variability and change impacts (growing populations and evolving power needs). The ramifications can be complicated, but they are frequently both beneficial and harmful.
The combination of climate-related hazards (including hazardous occurrences and trends), community vulnerability (susceptibility to harm and lack of capacity to adapt), and human and natural system exposure is used to assess overall risks from climate-related consequences. Hazards, exposure, and susceptibility are driven by changes in the climatic system and socioeconomic activities, including adaptation and mitigation actions.
Trinidad and Tobago Climate and Disaster Risks
Significant increases in population, industrial and agricultural activity, and living standards have increased water stress in many parts of the world, particularly in semi-arid and arid regions, over the last century. Climate change, on the other hand, will increase or mitigate the consequences of population pressure in different parts of the world in the coming decades.
In most dry subtropical climates, it is expected to drastically limit renewable surface and groundwater resources. Water resources, on the other hand, are expected to rise at high latitudes. Runoff has a proportional change that is one to three times greater than precipitation.Furthermore, even with standard treatment, climate change is expected to degrade raw water quality, posing a risk to drinking water quality.
Costal Hazards
The planet’s systematic warming is directly driving global mean sea level to rise in two basic ways: (1) melting mountain glaciers and polar ice sheets are adding water to the ocean, and (2) warming of the ocean water causes expansion and therefore greater volume. Since 1880, the global mean sea level has risen roughly 210–240 millimeters (mm), with about a third of it occurring in the previous two and a half decades. The annual growth is currently around 3mm each year.
Natural variability in area winds and ocean currents causes regional fluctuations, which can last for days, months, or even decades. However, additional factors such as ground uplift (e.g., ongoing rebound from Ice Age glacier weight), changes in water tables owing to water extraction or other water management, and even the effects of local erosion can all play a role locally.
Rising sea levels put a strain on both the physical coastline and coastal ecosystems. Freshwater aquifers, which support municipal and agricultural water supplies as well as natural ecosystems, can be contaminated by saltwater incursions. Because there is a significant lag between attaining equilibrium and global temperatures continuing to rise, sea level will continue to rise for a long time. The magnitude of the rise will be heavily influenced by future carbon dioxide emissions and global warming, and the speed of the rise may be progressively influenced by glacier and ice sheet melting.
reference – World Bank Climate knowledge,Climate Adopting UNDP,Climatelink
recentclimate – Trinidad and Tobago Climate Change and Disaster Risk