Estimating damages from climate-related natural disasters for the Caribbean at 1.5 °C and 2 °C global warming above preindustrial levels

Burgess, Christopher P.; Taylor, Michael A.; Spencer, Nekeisha; Jones, Jhordanne J.; Stephenson, Tannecia S.

doi:10.1007/s10113-018-1423-6

Cited by 29 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Further, this study provided a useful contribution to the extreme climate and work absenteeism literature in two main ways. First, it introduced a quantitative study in the Caribbean, a disasterprone region whose climatic future is marked by more intense and frequent weather events (Elsner et al 2008;Burgess et al 2018). Second, it made use of quarterly individual-level data, which is quite important in capturing the effects of climate extremes on worker absence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme Climate and Absence from Work: Evidence from Jamaica

Spencer

Urquhart

2021

Int J Disaster Risk Sci

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This study investigated the impact of extreme climate events on work absence in Jamaica. To this end, we constructed a quarterly individual level dataset on labor market and climatic data for 2004–2014. We find that while excess rainfall increases the odds of being temporarily absent from work, heat is unlikely to have an effect. The estimated outcome of excess rainfall is reasonable given the possibility of flooded roads, which can impede travel to work. This draws attention to the development of e-commuting policies to mitigate any negative effects on productivity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme Climate and Absence from Work: Evidence from Jamaica

Spencer

Urquhart

2021

Int J Disaster Risk Sci

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“…The Caribbean region is prone to climatically-driven natural disasters causing significant economic damages. Tropical cyclones (TCs), or hurricanes, and the associated extreme rain events, floods and landslides constitute a major threat [32,33]. The hurricane season spans June to November, when North Atlantic easterly trade winds are weaker and SSTs are above 26 ºC, which create the idea conditions for cyclonic activity [25].…”

Section: Meteorological Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the same period, TCs accounted for 95% of the economic losses. It is also worth mentioning that the occurrence of natural disasters associated to meteorology has significantly increased from <2 to >10 events per year before and after 1980 [32].…”

Section: Meteorological Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Caribbean Mangroves to Quaternary Climatic, Eustatic and Anthropogenic Drivers of Ecological Change: a Review

Rull¹

2022

Preprint

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Mangroves are among the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Understanding how these ecosystems responded to past natural and anthropogenic drivers of ecological change is essential not only for understanding how extant mangroves have been shaped, but also for informing their conservation. This paper reviews the available paleoecological evidence for Pleistocene and Holocene responses of Caribbean mangroves to climatic, eustatic and anthropogenic drivers. The first records date from the Last Interglacial when global average temperatures sea levels were slightly higher than the present and mangroves grew in locations and conditions similar to today. During the Last Glaciation temperatures and sea levels were significantly lower and Caribbean mangroves grew far from their present locations, on presently submerged sites. Current mangrove configuration was progressively attained after Early Holocene warming and sea-level rise, in the absence of anthropogenic pressure. Human influence began to be important in the Mid-Late Holocene, especially during the Archaic and Ceramic cultural periods, when sea levels were already at their present position, and climatic and human drivers were the most influencing factors. During the last millennium, the most relevant drivers of ecological change have been the episodic droughts linked to the Little Ice Age and the historical developments of the last centuries.

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“…In addition to SLR, hurricanes and the higher frequency of strong weather systems is another area of concern [84]. A&B has experienced severe category 5 hurricanes in the past, causing widespread damage.…”

Section: The Importance Of Building Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

GIS-Based Material Stock Analysis (MSA) of Climate Vulnerabilities to the Tourism Industry in Antigua and Barbuda

et al. 2020

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In the past decades, the Caribbean economy has transformed to rely primarily on tourism with a vast amount of infrastructure dedicated to this sector. At the same time, the region is subject to repeated crises in the form of extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent, deadly, and costly. Damages to buildings and infrastructure (or the material stocks) from storms disrupt the local economy by an immediate decline in tourists and loss of critical services. In Antigua and Barbuda (A&B), tourism contributes 80% to the GDP and is a major driver for adding new material stocks to support the industry. This research analyzes A&B’s material stocks (MSs) in buildings (aggregates, timber, concrete, and steel) using geographic information systems (GIS) with physical parameters such as building size and footprint, material intensity, and the number of floors. In 2004, the total MSs of buildings was estimated at 4.7 million tonnes (mt), equivalent to 58.5 tonnes per capita, with the share of non-metallic minerals to be highest (2.9 mt), followed by aggregates (1.2 mt), steel (0.44 mt), and timber (0.18 mt). Under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) 2 meter (m) sea level rise scenario, an estimated 4% of the island’s total MSs would be exposed. The tourism sector would disproportionately experience the greatest exposure of 19% of its MSs. By linking stocks to services, our research contributes to the understanding of the complexities between the environmental and economic vulnerability of island systems, and the need for better infrastructure planning as part of resilience building.

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Estimating damages from climate-related natural disasters for the Caribbean at 1.5 °C and 2 °C global warming above preindustrial levels

Cited by 29 publications

References 47 publications

Extreme Climate and Absence from Work: Evidence from Jamaica

Extreme Climate and Absence from Work: Evidence from Jamaica

Responses of Caribbean Mangroves to Quaternary Climatic, Eustatic and Anthropogenic Drivers of Ecological Change: a Review

GIS-Based Material Stock Analysis (MSA) of Climate Vulnerabilities to the Tourism Industry in Antigua and Barbuda

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