Martinique Climate Change and Affects
Martinique Climate
Martinique has a tropical climate that is moderated by trade winds and maritime influences. Martinique is known as the “never-ending summer” island, with an average temperature of 79°F. The east and northeast trade winds produce a regular breeze that refreshes the air.
Martinique’s abundant vegetation is a result of the island’s tropical climate lush tropical forests, groves, savannas, innumerable varieties of trees, fruits, plants, and flowers, not to mention mangrove forests.
Lent, the dry season from January to June, and winter, the wet season from July to December, follow each other. The average temperature is 25 degrees Celsius. September and October saw a lot of rain, however it was mostly intermittent.
The average temperature of the sea is between 24 and 28 degrees Celsius. Martinique features a beautiful tropical forest and several mangroves, marshes with rich vegetation that dominate the tropical islands’ narrow shores.
Martinique Climate Change
Although little research has been done on the prospective effects of climate change on Martinique, certain assumptions can be made. Given their proximity and shared characteristics, it is plausible to expect that the likelihood and magnitude of climate change consequences will be comparable in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
On this basis, climate change is expected to include an increase in average temperatures and the occurrence of periods of extreme heat, as well as a greater variation in the occurrence of both the hurricane and thunderstorm seasons, as has already been observed on Martinique, and an increase in the frequency of summer droughts.
During the drafting of the French National Plan for Climate Change Adaptation (2011-2015), the Outermost Regions, including Martinique, were consulted to ensure that the proposals created accurately addressed the issues encountered by Outermost Regions.
The majority of national suggestions were correct in their application to the Outermost Regions. However, certain recommendations will need to be adjusted to the local situation during implementation. In addition, nine further proposals were created to address the requirements of the French Outermost Regions.
Martinique accepted the SRCAE Martinique 2012 Regional Plan for Climate, Air, and Energy, which gave an assessment of Martinique’s contribution to climate change as well as the implications of climate change on Martinique. The SRCAE also established a strategy for dealing with climate change’s challenges.
Martinique Climate Change is combating climate change by enacting the Climate, Air, and Energy Master Plan, which was established in collaboration with the French government. The Regional Council of Martinique has also decided to go beyond the Master Plan with a program named “Martinique – Sustainable Island” in order to foster a more circular economy that uses less nonrenewable resources. By 2030, the goal is to have a 100 percent renewable energy mix.
Martinique Climate Change and Sustainable Development
This success should be hailed, particularly by the Small Island Development States (SIDS), a 41-nation organization, nearly half of which are in the Caribbean, that has been lobbying for enhanced climate ambition for nearly a quarter century.
SIDS are considerably more sensitive to the effects of climate change, and they risk losing even more. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global warming has very significant related losses and costs for families, communities, and entire countries, including their Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
So, Martinique Climate Change how does this affect the Caribbean? Climate change is widely acknowledged as one of the Caribbean’s most pressing problems. Comprehensive measures are needed to protect at-risk populations, given the possibility that climate change would worsen the frequency and intensity of the yearly hurricane season.
Furthermore, models based on moderate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions show that surface temperatures in the Caribbean will rise by 1.2 to 2.3 degrees Celsius this century. As a result, rainfall is projected to drop by roughly 5% to 6%. As a result, it will be the only insular place in the world where water supplies will decrease in the future.
Martinique Climate Change and Disaster Risk
Droughts will likely last longer and be more frequent as a result of the combination of higher temperatures and less water, posing a hazard to agriculture, livelihoods, sanitation, and ecosystems.
Sea level rise is perhaps the most significant threat. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, sea levels in the Caribbean might increase by 0.6 meters by the end of the century.
This could really flood low-lying areas, posing serious hazards to human settlements and infrastructure in coastal areas, particularly on the smallest islands. It also poses a huge threat to tourism, a vital sector for Caribbean economies: up to 60% of current resorts are located along the shore, and would be severely harmed by rising sea levels.
Sea level rise also increases the possibility of saline water into freshwater aquifers, jeopardizing vital water resources for agriculture, tourism, and human use unless costly treatment procedures are implemented.
Martinique Climate Change and Disaster
Thunderstorms, floods, tropical storms, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes are all threats to Martinique’s weather. During the hurricane season, which runs from June to November, tropical storms are common in the Caribbean Sea.
Storms are most likely to occur between August and October, bringing with them strong winds and heavy rains. Strong gusts, particularly on the island’s windward side, pose a threat to marine traffic around the island. Thunderstorms and downpours can be violent at times, and they can linger for hours during terrible weather.
Mount Pelee is a live volcano that has erupted three times in the past: in 1792, 1851, and 1902. Thousands of people were killed and Saint-Pierre was destroyed in two eruptions in 1902. The island’s placement along the South American and Caribbean plates’ subduction fault is a source of seismic activity.
Sustainable Development of Martinique due to the global Climate Change
Given these circumstances, SIDS, including those in the Caribbean, must urgently adapt to climate change. It’s hardly surprising, then, that all Caribbean nations included an adaptation element in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), which are voluntary commitments that pave the path for the Paris Agreement’s implementation.
Caribbean countries emphasize the conservation of water resources and the protection of coastal areas as their primary concerns in their INDCs. Adaptation measures in the economic and productive sectors, primarily agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and forestry, are also considered by the majority of them.
For many years, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has aided Caribbean countries in their adaptation efforts, including through environmental, energy, and risk reduction programs.
In accordance with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, we announced a new cooperation with the Government of Japan this week, the US$15 million Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (J-CCCP).
It will provide out a roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change in line with countries’ long-term objectives, assisting Caribbean countries in putting their actions and policies into action to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.
There are numerous alternatives when it comes to adapting to the various repercussions of climate change. Some rely on infrastructure to mitigate sea level rise, such as dikes, although this can be particularly costly for SIDS, which have a high ratio of coastal area to land mass.
Ecosystem-based adaptation initiatives are far more cost-effective in this setting, and thus represent an appealing choice in countries with a variety of developmental priorities and limited financial resources. This entails having healthy, well-functioning ecosystems to increase natural resistance to the negative effects of climate change while also lowering people’s vulnerabilities.
For example, the Cuban government collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), scientific institutes, and forestry businesses to restore mangrove forests along 84 kilometers of the country’s southern shore to slow saline intrusion from rising sea levels and reduce disaster risks, as the mangrove serves as a protective barrier against hurricanes.
While there is significant potential for climate change adaptation in SIDS, it will require additional external resources, technologies and strengthening of local capacities. In UNDP we are ideally placed to continue working hand-in-hand with Caribbean countries as they implement their INDCs and find their own solutions to climate-change adaptation.
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recent climate – Martinique Climate Change and Disaster Risk