Climate Change – A Global Problem, CCCCC Signs MOU with Kentucky University

The World Health Organization estimates climate change will cause an additional two hundred and fifty thousand deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. And with this alarming fact, the efforts to mitigate the impacts and to increase resiliency have been ongoing, across the world and even in our region. While developing countries are challenged for resources and finances to implement large climate change projects, the impacts of this global phenomenon are far-reaching and even developed countries cannot escape it. So, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center says that one of the best ways to tackle this issue is to establish strong partnerships. Today they took that lead with the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Western Kentucky University to address climate change in the region. News Five’s Andrea Polanco has the story.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

The Caribbean Community Climate Change Center signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Western Kentucky University that will see a partnership between the two entities. The agreement will tap into the areas of expertise and sharing of knowledge and resources to increase capacity and ability of both institutions to address the impacts of climate change in the Caribbean, using science and education.

Kenrick Leslie

Kenrick Leslie, Executive Director, CCCCC

“We found that our relationship with them even though it started out at Louisville began to grow much faster in terms of our efforts in getting research done in the areas of climate change. The center does not have the wherewithal in terms of human capacity as well as financial so we find ways in which to get our work done by collaborating with other institutions. And in this case, western Kentucky brings quite a bit to Belize because climate change is not just a question of temperature, but it affects things like health, water and other areas.”

President of Western Kentucky University, Gary Ransdell says that his institution will not only share information and assist the region in climate change research, but they also expect to tackle this global issue by finding solutions to improve the quality of life for generations to come.

Gary Ransdell, President, Western Kentucky University

“You bring to the W.K.U. the opportunity to interact with those nations in ways that we would not otherwise be able to do. The blending of scientists and professionals of capacity and opportunity of understanding the problems that we all face as it relates to climate change and how we can all be less concerned about the cause, but more concerned about the solutions, resiliency as a people, a shared people in this globe that we share and that adaptation to what climate change is bringing to our respective nations and to remediation. How can we take what is happening in our waters and our populations and our lands; from rural health to environmental impact and ensure that future generations can have a better quality of life in spite of what these climate change and environmental conditions are causing us to address.”

Leslie says the partnership with the Western Kentucky University is expected to yield major results for the Caribbean. For Belize, it is expected that the impacts will be felt in rural communities from works that are already underway.

Kenrick Leslie

“Western Kentucky University has been working with us to bring in programs especially in villages such as Gales Point, in the Red Hills and so on. But also in advancing our research in the modeling to understand the impacts of climate change. They have a team of persons who have been working in this area for a number of years and so by joining with them, we can advance our program in understanding our country’s watersheds, marine ecosystems and so on through the modeling work that we have been advancing at the University of Western Kentucky.”

As a part of the initiative, the Western Kentucky University expects to facilitate student exchange programs that will empower students in information sharing.

Gary Ransdell

Gary Ransdell

“We want to bring students here. We want our students to be global citizens to understand the importance of understanding cause and effect across the globe. Environmentally, certainly. But, geopolitically, economically, all the different dimensions that happen in one or two nations automatically affect other nations in this complex but very small globe that we all share. We want to continue to bring faculty, students. We want to have you visit us on our campus and be directly involved with our twenty thousand students as we continue to study climate change as an important global phenomenon, that allows our students to be part of those solutions.”

The Caribbean Climate Change Center will also be working with the University of Belize and Western Kentucky University to facilitate joint programs through graduate research, as well as scholarships. Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.