Safeguarding the Caribbean's future: making the case to research the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on youth mental health and wellbeing

This article makes a call for attention to paid on the development of a research agenda for studying the impact of climatic events on youth mental health in the Caribbean. It details the climate injustices that the region faces and the potential mental health problem which can arise from climatic events. It makes a call for interdisciplinary research and a multi stakeholder approach to dealing with this potential issue.

The Impact of Tropical Storms on International Trade: Evidence from Eastern Caribbean Small Island Developing States

Eastern Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have a high dependence on international trade for income, employment, and poverty reduction given their extreme openness, small market size, narrow range of resources, and productive capabilities and specialized economic structures. These features make them vulnerable to external shocks, the most frequent being tropical storms. The objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of tropical storms on international trade for 8 Eastern Caribbean SIDS over the period 2000-2019, as well as the mediating role of the Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER). The paper uses panel regression techniques along with mediation analysis applied to monthly export, import, and exchange rate data taken from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank combined with a measure of hurricane destruction that accounts for ex-ante economic exposure to damage. The results indicate that hurricanes reduce exports of goods by 20 percent in the month of a strike and up to three months thereafter. The impact on imports is more immediate and less severe, reducing imports of goods by 11 per cent only in the month of a strike. The mediation analysis suggests that the REER plays no mediation role in explaining the impact of tropical storm damage on exports and imports in the region.

Organic waste valorization in remote islands: Analysis of economic and environmental benefits of onsite treatment options

Solid waste management (SWM) represents an important issue for small islands. This research evaluates the municipal SWM system of the Pelagian archipelago, in Italy. The research aims to evaluate environmental and econoemic benefits of onsite treatment plants for the valorization of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. The sizing of the anaerobic digestion (AD) and composting plant was developed, and the characteristics of the plant were used to conduct a cost analysis and an environmental life cycle assessment. The current waste management system (S0) has been compared with the new strategy proposed (S1). Results showed that S1 leads to save more than 250,000 € y^-1 due to the avoidance of organic waste final disposal and shipping, determining a payback time of about 7 years. Environmental benefits include a lowering of CO₂-eq emission of more than 1100 tonnes per year and a reduction of all the six environmental impacts analysed. The outcomes represent a novel contribution to the scientific literature since the research provides the first comparison of quantitative data about environmental and cost benefits of onsite AD plants in small islands. The research underlines that onsite waste treatment systems are viable options to improve SWM systems in isolated regions.

Regional Research-Practice-Policy Partnerships in Response to Climate-Related Disparities: Promoting Health Equity in the Pacific

Although climate change poses a threat to health and well-being globally, a regional approach to addressing climate-related health equity may be more suitable, appropriate, and appealing to under-resourced communities and countries. In support of this argument, this commentary describes an approach by a network of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers dedicated to promoting climate-related health equity in Small Island Developing States and low- and middle-income countries in the Pacific. We identify three primary sets of needs related to developing a regional capacity to address physical and mental health disparities through research, training, and assistance in policy and practice implementation: (1) limited healthcare facilities and qualified medical and mental health providers; (2) addressing the social impacts related to the cooccurrence of natural hazards, disease outbreaks, and complex emergencies; and (3) building the response capacity and resilience to climate-related extreme weather events and natural hazards.

Renewable energy can enhance resilience of small islands

This paper summarizes some of the ways in which increased use of renewable energy can reduce vulnerability of nations and communities to hydro-meteorological disasters (i.e. enhance their resilience). It uses examples mainly from the small island countries of the Pacific, as the issues raised are particularly pertinent there. In particular, distributed electricity generation reduces vulnerability of supply to severe weather.

The significance of DOHaD for Small Island Developing States

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are island nations that experience specific social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities associated with small populations, isolation and limited resources. Globally, SIDS exhibit exceptionally high rates of non-communicable disease (NCD) risk and incidence. Despite this, there is a lack of context-specific research within SIDS focused on life course approaches to NCD prevention, particularly the impact of the early-life environment on later disease risk as defined by the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework. Given that globalization has contributed to significant nutritional transitions in these populations, the DOHaD paradigm is highly relevant. SIDS in the Pacific region have the highest rates of NCD risk and incidence globally. Transitions from traditional foods grown locally to reliance on importation of Western-style processed foods high in fat and sugar are common. The Cook Islands is one Pacific SIDS that reports this transition, alongside rising overweight/obesity rates, currently 91%/72%, in the adult population. However, research on early-life NCD prevention within this context, as in many low- and middle-income countries, is scarce. Although traditional research emphasizes the need for large sample sizes, this is rarely possible in the smaller SIDS. In these vulnerable, high priority countries, consideration should be given to utilizing 'small' sample sizes that encompass a high proportion of the total population. This may enable contextually relevant research, crucial to inform NCD prevention strategies that can contribute to improving health and well-being for these at-risk communities.

Risks, Health Consequences, and Response Challenges for Small-Island-Based Populations: Observations From the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season

ABSTRACTThe intensely active 2017 Atlantic basin hurricane season provided an opportunity to examine how climate drivers, including warming oceans and rising seas, exacerbated tropical cyclone hazards. The season also highlighted the unique vulnerabilities of populations residing on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to the catastrophic potential of these storms. During 2017, 22 of the 29 Caribbean SIDS were affected by at least one named storm, and multiple SIDS experienced extreme damage. This paper aims to review the multiplicity of storm impacts on Caribbean SIDS throughout the 2017 season, to explicate the influences of climate drivers on storm formation and intensity, to explore the propensity of SIDS to sustain severe damage and prolonged disruption of essential services, to document the spectrum of public health consequences, and to delineate the daunting hurdles that challenged emergency response and recovery operations for island-based, disaster-affected populations. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:5-17).

E-Government Attempts in Small Island Developing States: The Rate of Corruption with Virtualization

In recent years, many Small Island Developing State (SIDS) governments have worked to increase openness and transparency of their transactions as a means to enhance efficiency and reduce corruption in their economies. In order to achieve a cost-effective and efficient strategy to implement a transparent government, Information Communication Technologies offer an opportunity of virtualization by deploying e-government services to promote transparency, accountability and consistency in the public sector and to minimize corruption. This paper explores the potential impact of government virtualization by SIDS and against corruption by comparing the corruption perception index (CPI) rates of 15 SIDS countries. The CPI relates to the degree by which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians by business people and country analysts. In order to reveal the long-term impact of virtual deployment and its consequences on corruption, an in-depth case analysis based on the CPI index rates was conducted on the deployment of the e-government system in Cyprus.