The UK Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) has published the first comprehensive assessment of climate change impacts on coasts and seas across the islands globally.
The Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP) report says, “In this crucial year of global climate action, it highlights the UK OTs climate challenges and showcases where they are working with nature to build resilience to climate change.”
The segment on Caribbean and Mid-Atlantic territories warns that climate change presents significant risks for them and says there’s is a need for substantial climate action to reduce vulnerability and exposure.
It however notes that all the islands have either begun to develop or have already approved climate change policies to achieve low-carbon and climate-resilient development objectives.
According to the MCCI report, the UK OTs constitute a small land area with large marine provinces, but which collectively represent the 5th largest marine estate in the world.
It says that the marine and coastal environment is an important natural resource to the islands, with economies and people heavily dependent on the services they provide, such as fisheries and tourism.
However, the document notes that climate change is already affecting these islands, through loss of habitat and degradation of biodiversity, and the social and economic impacts caused by extreme weather events.
According to the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP), climate change risks in the OTs are exacerbated by the degradation and loss of coastal ecosystems due to human activities.
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