The impacts of climate change

More recently in 2011, continuous heavy rainfall in Region Nine and in the Roraima State of Brazil caused overflow in the Rio Branco, Ireng and Takutu rivers, which resulted in severe flooding in Lethem, its environs and other low-lying areas of Region Nine.
Moreover, within the last century, Guyana has experienced an increase of 1.0 Degree Celsius of the mean annual temperature. It is projected that by the end of this century, temperatures can increase by up to four Degree Celsius and weather patterns will become more extreme. Sea level is projected to rise at a rate of one cm/ year, about 40cm- 60cm by the end of the 21st century.
These projected changes may translate into eco-systems disruptions, floods, landslides, storm surges and droughts, among other impacts. These threats will impose severe social and economic constraints to Guyana and would need to be addressed with effective adaptation measures, which the government is undertaking such as improvements to drainage and irrigation, rehabilitation of sea defences and disaster risk management.
The Hydrometeorological Service, a department of the Agriculture Ministry, is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the weather and water resources in Guyana. The department continues to observe and archive Guyana’s weather and climate and provide meteorological information.
New projects and initiatives have been implemented including a Doppler digital radar, which was setup to improve weather monitoring and forecasting in Guyana.
Mitigation measures
The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), also within the Agriculture Ministry, continues to monitor the D& I systems in Guyana and ensure all measures are taken to mitigate the effects of the heavy rainfall.
Further, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the national disaster management organisation in Guyana, has embarked on a Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) programme, which will outline appropriate measures, making Guyana better prepared to handle disasters and lessen the vulnerability to disasters that are repeated such as flooding.
Additionally, priority projects on adaptation are outlined within Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which is an innovative strategy that seeks to merge the fight against climate change while simultaneously encouraging economic development.
The LCDS will support the upgrading of infrastructure and assets to protect against flooding through urgent, near-term measures.
Specifically, the LCDS update, which was launched this year, identified the project area “Climate Resilience, Adaptation and Water Management Initiatives” for which up to US$ 100 million will be allocated to improve Guyana’s capacity to address climate change.
This, along with other initiatives and projects within the LCDS will be explained in detail in a future article.
Next week’s article will feature, in detail, the projected impacts of climate change in Guyana that will likely occur if measures are not put in place. Models used to project climate change impact will also be featured.