Cayman faces rising, warmer seas and bigger storms
(CNS): The Cayman Islands are facing a complex range of risks from climate change, and the government will need to make some significant decisions in the short term if it is going to protect the country in the long term. Key threats from rising, warmer seas and bigger, more intense storms, identified by researchers in the final report of the Climate Change Risk Assessment conducted last year will cause coastal erosion, flooding, the destruction of buildings and the salination of the water lenses.
The full scientific report on the risks posed to Cayman by climate change, which was published last week, identified at least 50 direct threats for these islands, 18 of which were noted as “severe”. But most of the problems that residents here will face will be as a result of rising sea levels and bigger, more dangerous weather events, such as hurricanes and storms.
Rising seas will cause a catalogue of problems across all three islands as beaches are eroded and flooding becomes more frequent and intense.
The report was undertaken as part of the development of the PACT Government’s climate change policy. Premier and Minister of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency Wayne Panton has said that the development of such a policy would be instrumental in guiding the current government’s policy agenda to make this country more resilient to the inevitable negative impacts of a changing climate on our environment, economy and society.
He said that this Climate Change Risk Assessment provides an important base for informing an updated national climate change policy, which is currently being developed by a technical working group spearheaded by his ministry and the Department of Environment.
“We know small island nations like the Cayman Islands are the figurative ‘canaries in the coalmine’ for the existential threats posed by climate change,” the premier said. “Initiatives like the Climate Change Risk Assessment and development of an updated national Climate Change Policy are essential to ensuring our community can navigate the ongoing and anticipated challenges of a warming world while balancing our environment, economy and society,” he added.
The local technical working group that worked on the project will remain in contact with the UK experts who conducted the assessment as they work to refine a first draft of the Climate Change Policy. “Our aim is to start public consultation on this important document in the early part of the second quarter of this year,” Panton said.
According to the report, Cayman will need more resilient infrastructure networks and a liveable built environment in harmony with nature if it is to successfully navigate and manage a warming world. But to achieve that, the government will need to sustain a robust economy to finance the changes needed to make the country more resilient.
The risk report analysed an array of physical climate change drivers and impacts, such as more intense storms, cyclones, winds, waves and storm surges, that will cause damage to property and economic challenges. Sea-level rise, warmer seas and the acidification of the ocean will continue to pose a threat to the survival of the local reefs as the coral becomes exposed to more diseases and other major threats, such as bleaching events.
Cayman has already seen a significant increase in air and sea temperature but local and regional data reveals that many other impacts associated directly with climate change are already occurring, including fewer but more severe rainfall events and increased frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones. These are compounded by human activity from coastal development and the destruction of critical habitat, such as mangroves, and the loss of biodiversity as natural habitat is urbanised.
Just some of the problems Cayman must begin to contend with include the impact on marine species like sea turtles and corals, loss and damage to natural habitats, disruption to the energy sector, and damage to critical infrastructure such as sewerage systems, roads, airports, coastal settlements, ports and shipping traffic.
The climate policy will play a significant part in guiding what the government will do to mitigate the threats of climate change, but the rollout of the policy is not expected until at least the latter part of this year.
Officials from the ministry said that once the working draft of the policy has been finalised by the technical working group, the document will be put before Cabinet for review and approval to commence public consultation.
The thirty-day public consultation period for the draft policy will include several public meetings on all three islands and a digital feedback mechanism to capture community feedback. Once public feedback has been incorporated into the final draft, the policy will be presented to Cabinet for final review and approval, officials said. Implementation planning for the policy is expected to take place over the course of 2023-2024.
Read the full report and more about the development of the policy and related documents here.
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Category: Climate Change, Science & Nature
https://caymannewsservice.com/2023/02/premier-taking-hard-look-at-pact-progress/
When Henry Ford invented the automoble that changed the historical way of transporting people and products, it transformed the way people lived in the past and brought them into the future by creating new jobs making aotomobiles, painting automobiles, car automobile repairs, etc…………………… creation of new techinical college and university courses, university housing developments, shopping centers, restaurants and other sources of entertainment
https://www.caymaniantimes.ky/news/tourism-could-replace-financial-services-as-lead-industry-dep-premier
Fastfoward those industrial developments and inventions to the modern day of Climate Change and the warming of the ocean waters where Ice Bergs are breaking away from Antarctica the size of the United Kingdom.
That is causing alarming Beach Erosion, rising of the Oceans Sea Waters and the lost of our Famous Seven Mile Beach that is requiring Caymanians to Re-Think its precious Tourism Industry, where we will have to start offering Condo/Hotels with Salt Water, Water Attraction Parks with marine life in undeveloped parts of the the island if we wish to preserve and keep our Tourism Product in the future and if we wish to continue offering our people honest and gainful employment
75% of land in the Cayman Islands are undeveloped, congested roads suggest newer and more efficient infrustructure roads need to be built for emergency vehicles to comute faster and easier to and from the outer districts, concerns of over crowding at the Sting Ray City suggest that alternative recreactional and leisure activities like Salt Water Parks with marine life need to be built in-land like Disney World did for new Tourist Attractions, projected Airport expansions with increases and proposed or projected increases in tourist air arrivals suggest new Hotels and more Condos need to be built in land on the 75% of the islands undeveloped property, coupled with hush hush talks of the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority being in discussions with the London Clearings House to introduce a Regional Clearings House that will create 5,000 to 10,000 Accounting, Finance and Administrative Jobs suggest that the Cayman Islands is on a path of socio-economical and infrustructual growth
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/01/25/world/antarctica-brunt-iceberg-climate/index.html
So see if I get this climate change straight. Its caused by CO2 increase? Right? So if we could get 8 billion people no-no 1 billion people to plant a tree, would that help reduce CO2? Let us go for broke lets ask all the protesters, Climate change entrepreneurs, etc to plant 1 flipping tree once a week, couldn’t we solve this problem? Not tomorrow of course, but really do something for the future?
Show us the rise of sea since Al Gore ( who is still flying in private jets or Suv’s) gave his warning of land disappearing in the ocean.
We are a financial centre who lend multi millions of dollars to build up to 10 million dollars to build condos and more for luxurious houses on the beach. Every coast line in the world are doing the same. Dubai have reclaimed land from the sea and built oceanfront properties. Are you people still pushing this nonsense? Show us the proof. Cause nobody that’s rich believes it.
Go to Florida Keys Bobo. See the proof first hand.
Hey 7:47. Have you ever heard of Google? Might give it a try sometime. Of course, if you don’t know how to read data or understand it you will still be looking for proof.
Ignorance knows no bounds.
interestingly, the climate change pundits calling for CO2 reductions because of climate change are now…. shipping wood pulp to Europe to power their infrastructure. that means — wait for it — they are cutting down trees!
You sound angry, but I can’t figure out with who or what.
Climate Change is real, and its impact is real. I won’t argue that.
What disappoints me, though, is that according to those considering the data, the top three risks to the Cayman Islands from Climate Change are:
“… increased frequency and severity of coral
bleaching and coral disease outbreaks; a decline of coral
reef structure and integrity; and disruption of turtle
distribution and population dynamics.”
As important as these three risks are, I would have thought that the top three would have also included risks to the lives and livelihoods and homes of People. Instead, the top three concerns are corals, corals and turtles. Important, yes, but Humans are very important too.
Something is just not right with the perspectives of the local experts determining the priorities that need to be considered for any possible mitigation and action.
Everyone should be concerned’: Antarctic sea ice reaches lowest levels ever recorded
With the continent holding enough ice to raise sea levels by many metres if it was to melt, polar scientists are scrambling for answers
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/04/everyone-should-be-concerned-antarctic-sea-ice-reaches-lowest-levels-ever-recorded
Can someone please point me to the statistics of what is happening in Cayman re climate change? I am not referring to the lobbied “Green” reports that cite generalized theories. I mean, coastal measurements, satellite imagery, annual temperatures and rainfall, etc. You know, the actual “science” in these “scientific reports”. Where is it all? I am not saying it doesn’t exist or that climate change is not happening. What I am saying is there are so many reports out there alluding to all of this “science” yet I can never seem to find the numbers/data. Food for thought, anyone seen the figures required for ESG compliance and reporting? The numbers are astronomical. Don’t worry, I can pull those figures and out the “science” in that “scientific report”. Follow the money!
Alt-MAGA weighs in. Classic.
Judge Judy once opined that “beauty fades, dumb is forever”, and she’s wasn’t wrong.
9:59, Go to the Florida Keys for a trip and see what is going on there. The Americans have all the scientific data on coastal measurements. Then ask yourself why if all the things such as erosion, flooding, destruction of buildings, and significant loss of fresh water sources due to salinity is happening there why would they not apply in the Cayman Islands.
The Keys are our geographical neighbours. We fly right over them every time we fly to Miami.
Point taken. The request, however, was for Cayman data. Furthermore, on what timeline does the American data cover? for the record, climate change happens every year – it’s called seasons. If that is not a long enough timeline well then, let’s discuss el nino and la Nina – that is climate change. the point is this, it is obvious the earth is going through changes, it always has. Did the Ice Age even happen? Apparently, wheat and grain were grown on, Greenland (!) by the vikings. Probably won’t get much from a crop there nowadays considering it’s essentially permafrost now.
So, tell me, where is the data? Not to be a conspiracy nut, but so that I can make infirmed decisions on the topic instead of having rich billionaire type groups push an agenda while they position themselves to profit.
4::17, You are obviously intellectually lazy. The American National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has all the data. The Greenland and Antarctica giant ice sheets are melting away rapidly. The data is there. Human caused global heating means an extra 17 inches of sea level rise by approximately 2040.
They know this in the Florida Keys and are now planning on abandoning some areas and housing. Some areas will become only accessible by boat and they will have to resort to floating structures and navigable canals to remain viable. The islands will gradually disappear into higher ocean, leaving a ruined landscape of leaky underground storage tanks, old pipes, and flooded road segments behind to pollute the water.
Look at a map and see where we are in relation to the Keys and tell me why the same thing will not happen here?
Engage your brain and do a bit of research. Try it as it is not that hard on this subject.
There has never been a more complete body of agreed high confidence data points than we have today. Independent precision instruments don’t have a political agenda to lie, no business conflicts, and they don’t offer an opinion, other than diagnostically state it how it is and with high certainty.
NOAA owns or operates a total of 17 satellites. https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/current-satellite-missions/currently-flying
NOAA directly owns and operates eleven of these satellites, which include:
Five geostationary (GOES-14, -15, -16, -17 and -18)
Five polar-orbiting (NOAA-15, -18, -19, -20, and -21)
One deep space satellite (DSCOVR)
Additionally, NOAA operates but does not own, six satellites, which include:
Suomi NPP (NASA owns)
Jason-3 (CNES owns)
Three Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites (F-16, F-17, F-19)
EWS-G1 (Air Force owns, formerly GOES-13)
Add to that the European Space Agency have a catalogue of friendly equipment in orbit:
https://www.eumetsat.int
Those include:
MATEOSAT Series
METOP Series
Sentinel Series
Jason Series
With more upcoming launches scheduled
COPERNICUS collate and publish their findings here:
https://www.ecmwf.int/en/about/what-we-do/environmental-services/copernicus-climate-change-service
and here: https://climate.copernicus.eu
UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (and 7 year assessment reports from hundreds of climate scientists). Some learned opinions in here with grade of confidence level noted and footnoted to the underlying work: https://IPCC.ch
Yeah Miami Dave, and the brilliant 😝 Governor of Floriduh, DeSantis, is in total denial and delusional that climate change is impacting his state. There is a big problem in a democracy when politicians are prisoners of their ideology and deny all science.
I regret to say, people who live in many coastal areas in Florida are already paying a price. With out of this world home insurance costs for those who live on or near coastal Florida.
You are right about the Florida Keys. I was there last year and was shocked and dismayed about the environmental change happening fast there.
Orlando Bob, There is a reason why Floriduh was ranked 43rd out of 50 states in America last year for education.
Sorry to say but there is a real dumbing down in our state and DeSantis plays to that perfectly.
Lol I feel sorry for you. Maybe you’re not looking hard enough? Do you think that the comment you made is going to magically wipe away your ignorance and intellectual laziness? I’m super confused. Do you need the data explained to you as if you are a 1st grader? If you cannot find data on climate change with a simple google search I really doubt that any data that anybody here directs you to is going to make a difference. You have clearly chosen ignorance.
Goofy ass conspiracy theorists are the reason we can’t have nice things.
“It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.”
Carl Sagan
You may continue to put your head in the sand but I would suggest finding a patch that’s well above current sea level.
Globally, sea levels rose 10-12 inches in the 100 years from 1920-2020. Nearly 4 inches of that just since 1993. Doesn’t yet seem like much, but due to the compounding issue of rising sea and atmospheric temperatures, changes in salinity etc, NOAA projects sea levels to rise the same amount or more in the next 30 years to 2050. By 2100, for whoever’s left, sea level will likely be in excess of 12 feet higher, but they will be more concerned about the billions of migrants without water, food, and resource wars being fought. The pace of acceleration is logarithmic with GHG emissions and resulting temperature capture. Meanwhile, the UN IPCC projects the planet will surpass the Tipping Point of +1.5’C above pre-Industrial levels by no later than August 2034, and perhaps much sooner once the permafrost methane pockets burst. Most of this is because folks are addicted to meat and dairy and don’t want to think about eating healthier vegetables, not even to save the planet.
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level
There are decades of published mitigations, translated into dozens of languages. Last year’s UN IPCC Assessment Report mentions plant-based diets over 240 times as mitigation. Cayman Islands mentioned specifically 4 times. https://ipcc.ch
9:59, Due to our proximity to the Florida Keys, where the science and data is very clear on climate change, why would one think that the situation is so different here from a scientific perspective?
However, I do recognize that many people live in a mental bubble here on Grand Cayman.
When Henry Ford invented the automoble that changed the historical way we transport people goods and products, it transformed the way people lived in the past and brought them into the future by creating new jobs of making aotomobiles, painting automobiles, car automobile repairs, etc…………………… it created new colleges and universities technical courses that increased the teaching profession, it created university housing developments, shopping centers, restaurants and different types of entertainment
Fastfoward those inventions to the modern day of Climate Change and the warming of the ocean waters, where Ice Bergs are breaking away from Antarctica the size of the United Kingdom.
Causing alarming Beach Erosion, rising of the Oceans Sea Waters and the lost of our Famous Seven Mile Beach that is requiring Caymanians to Re-Think is precious Tourism Industry.
where we will have to start offering Condo/Hotels with Salt Water Water Attraction Parks with marine life in undeveloped parts of the the island if we wish to preserve and keep our Tourism Product in the future and continue to offer our people honest and gainful employment
Maybe its time for us to re-visit the PPM Go-East Initiative and the National Tourism Management Plan and engage ourselves in sensible discussions about what the future of these islands really look like
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/01/25/world/antarctica-brunt-iceberg-climate/index.html
Henry Ford did not invent the automobile! He invented mass production assemble lines.
And we tearing through the mangroves going east. Someone please make this make sense? Why are we going to build a road that would contribute to the decay of the island? I don’t get it!!!
Yep and we just made another foreigner rich by wasting our money on Mariners Cove. Thanks Sabrina!!!
I am dismayed that sea level rise is so profound on Grand Cayman. I feel bad for you all. Here on the Brac, the sea level hasn’t changed one single iota since I was a boy (50 years ago), nor apparently from my parent’s days (75 years ago).
Consider the possibility that the Brac, being almost all ironshore has not changed, while that change reflected in Grand Cayman is almost entirely attributable to coastal erosion caused by removal of indigenous plants.
Let us please conserve our resources and halt the overbuilding which has become so prevalent.
Sorry, bobo, you’re 20 years too late. No stopping the carnival now.
Alas, I fear you are correct. Still, it doesn’t hurt a bit to lobby for sensible change.
There is. O sea level rise. There is beach erosion. Two very different things.
“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” -Carl Sagan
“For me, it’s better to stick to the facts than look up random quotes on the internet” – Me
People don’t care about what’s happening right at this minute. They care about the direction things are moving. Paint the picture of where we’re heading and everyone freaks out. But show them the data that supports the actual science and there will not be enough to make anyone notice.
Ergo, build your house on the rock not the beach.
Tell the people living in the Florida Keys that there is O sea level rise.
Perhaps you can explain what is going on there as you are obviously so smart?
Thanks for the very interesting comment. Has any scientific study measured sea level change at Grand Cayman yet?
Beach erosion has been very dramatic at the heavily foot trafficed end of SMB where the seawalls have been the major cause of erosion
No change says you. Global sea levels, which both islands are similarly connected, are up 10-12 inches in 100 years since 1920, and 4″ of those since 1993. 12 inches more are expected in 30 years to 2050, but projections get very uncertain after +1.5’C Tipping Point is surpassed on or before August 2034. Around then, frozen polar methane stores burst, and that CH4 gas is 16x more warming than C02. Look at the bluff at you will see the weathered wave cuts of where sea levels have been in the interglacial maximums of the geological past. Last one being Eemian/Ipswichian 110,000 years ago, then C02 levels were 280ppm, current C02 levels are >414ppm and all of that gas with at least a 20,000 year lifespan. #science
Mumbichi, you are wrong, sea level has rose a lot around the Brac, 60 years ago one could go fishing on Sara big rock without getting feet wet in low tide, now its about 7 inches of water there now in low tide.
Concrete and asphalt soak up water and protect us from big waves right?
At least they increase surface temperatures thereby increasing electricity usage. A win-win for CUC!
Don’t worry as Mr Dart & Mr Shilling will get this all resolved for us.
Carbon Tax is inevitable.
There’s $20 worth of water input attached to every 1/3 lb burger patty sold today, along with $20-30 worst of methane. Massive global agricultural subsidies need to be unwound, and prices need to start making sense long before misguided CO2 taxes that will not change dangerous consumer habits.
With all the development happening within this country over the past years to a decade, why does it just now feel like some sense of urgency is being applied? As always, reactive Government. Further, why do we need “experts” from the UK conducting assessments on our shores?
Nah man,
I you squint you’ll just be able to see that high sea wall of ignorance encircling our island.
We good!
Ignorance, arrogance, and insolence.
This is the way.
mankind destroying his own existence…oxygen…all in name of greed!
too little too late for caymanian poorly educated mla’s who have spent decades literally sticking their heads in the sand regarding climate risks…..
just another day in wonderland.
This is the kind of news that insurance companies refer to, when increasing their already eye-watering rates.
Something must be done to bring these rate increases under control, a legal approach should be considered to keep rates fair and just.
It is killing the local economy, and will only continue to get worse.
Maybe stop filling in flood plains and cutting down mangroves? insurers are not dense.
The great thing about insurance companies is that they know how to read data and handle risk management and understand probabilities.
They are in business to make a profit not to dispense charity. The rates will go up here forever until nobody can afford their rates.
The rate increases are not going to come under control in the same way they are out of control in Florida with no end insight and a Governor who is in climate change denial.
Insurance companies have figured climate change out. Too bad Caymanians still need convincing.
All a big Hoax and Hocus pocus pixie dust mombo jumbo right Jay ?
i going on lil cay bluff..build a bunker..but comfortable!
Imagine choosing to buy in what was once a swamp, as if the flooding from storms won’t occur ever again.
Wonderland
last government love livin in million $ swamp, no problem mon
Quick! Fire up the excavators, gravel trucks concrete mixers! Time to kill mangroves and build, build, build! Fill in the flood plains!