The UK government has launched a $200,000 climate change study which is aimed at determining the threats posed by climate change in Bermuda.
The home affairs minister, Walter Roban said that within the next 25 years, Bermuda would be looking to experience extreme weather events.
He noted that events that typically used to occur once every 100 years are predicted to occur every year, including more frequent and more intense storms, higher sea levels and tides, and increased and intense but less predictable rainfall.
“Additionally, Bermuda faces the threat of major changes to its marine ecosystem including our protective coral reefs that encircle the islands, as well as the intrusion of saltwater into our freshwater lenses which may result in critical reductions in our water supply,” he said.
Read also: Expert says Africa loses 5% GDP to climate change
Speaking further, Roban said that following consultations with Government House, the UK government had provided a $200,000 grant to Bermuda to “assess some of the inherent risks to Bermuda caused by the impacts of climate change”.
According to him, the Department of Planning had engaged Smith Warner International Ltd, which previously wrote a 2004 report titled “Coastal Protection and Development Planning Guidelines for Bermuda”, to conduct the climate study.
He explained that the study will make predictions specifically for Bermuda with a projection timeline for best- and worst-case climate change scenarios over short-, medium- and long-term time frames.
Story was adapted from the Royal Gazette.
