Post-hurricane, what does it mean to “build back better” in Dominica?

Hurricane Maria destruction on Dominica. Image credit Tanya Holden/DFID
Climate Change
1

After the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, we heard a lot about the need for the Caribbean to “build back better”. In this article for IPS News, Desmond Brown explores some perspectives from Dominica on what that might mean:

“We certainly did not act fast enough in Dominica, we know that. And from looking at what happened in Puerto Rico and in Antigua and Barbuda, I didn’t see any evidence that we have really come to grips with what is required to make us more resilient in the face of those conditions that are going to confront us,” Wiltshire said.

“It brings us to the question how do we make ourselves more resilient, what do we do? I would say we have to look not just to the question of making buildings stronger and more rigid, but we also have to look at ways in which the community is made more resilient; our pattern of production and consumption, we’ve got really to reorient our society to eliminate the causes that prevent those communities from being able to withstand the effects of these disasters.”

“Do we perceive climate change as something that is an event or are we beginning to recognise that climate change for us in the Caribbean is a developmental issue? We have to begin to see that climate change is interwoven into every aspect of our lives and it impacts us daily. It’s where you get your water from, the quality of your roads. Until we begin to realise that climate change is interwoven into life then we will always be almost with our foot on the backburner, always trying to catch up.”

Read the full article at IPS News.

[Image credit: Tanya Holden/DFID]

Pingback: Green Antilles
1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Bridge damaged by flooding, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Image: CIF Action
Climate Change
OECS/GIZ photo contest: human mobility in the context of climate change

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) have launched a photo competition on Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change. The contest seeks to inspire the creation and dissemination of images that explore the impact of climate change on the lives of Caribbean …

Dasheen farmer, Dominica. Image: scottmontreal
Agriculture
World Bank continues to support post-hurricane livelihoods recovery for Dominica’s farmers

The World Bank continues to support action to restore livelihoods in Dominica’s agricultural sector, post Hurricane-Maria. Via Dominica News Online: The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved US$16.4 million in additional financing for Dominica to support ongoing projects in the areas of agriculture and infrastructure for climate resilience and economic recovery …

Soil. Image: CIAT
Agriculture
How permaculture in the Caribbean can help mitigate climate change

Maintaining and improving soil health is an integral aspect of sustainable agriculture. Not only are healthy soils more productive, they also help to mitigate climate change by absorbing greenhouses gases from the atmosphere. As Daphne Ewing-Chow, writing for Forbes, explains, this is why regenerative agriculture, which reverses land degradation and …