Burn, MJ; Boger, R; Holmes, J; Bain, A; (2022) A long-term perspective of climate change in the Caribbean and its impacts on the island of Barbuda. In: Perdikaris, Sophia and Boger, Rebecca, (eds.) Barbuda: Changing Times, Changing Tides. (pp. 11-39). Routledge India: London, UK.

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Abstract

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Caribbean are vulnerable to the effects of climatic change. The damaging impacts of contemporary sea-level rise and changing rainfall patterns are clear and have had a significant influence on Barbuda’s physical, economic, and socio-cultural landscapes. In 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Barbuda as a major Category 5 hurricane, which led to widespread devastation and the evacuation of the island’s entire population. The passage of this large storm is consistent with a recent increase in Atlantic hurricane activity; however, the attribution of individual catastrophic events to climate change, whether natural or anthropogenic, remains a scientific challenge. Nevertheless, the lasting impacts of Hurricane Irma on Barbuda emphasizes the vulnerability of SIDS to regional- and global-scale climatic phenomena. In this chapter, we show how climate has changed in the Caribbean over different spatial and temporal scales and how varying natural and anthropogenic factors have shaped Barbuda’s climatic history. We highlight projections of 21st-century climate change for the Caribbean region and its likely impacts on Barbuda’s coastal ecosystems, potable groundwater resources, and natural heritage.

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