Honourable Stephenson King, Senior Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Ports, Transport, Physical Development and Urban Renewal

Honourable Shawn Edwards, Minister for Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training

Honourable Alva Baptiste, Minister for External Affairs. International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs

Permanent Secretaries,

Senior Government officials,

Members of the E-GEOS consulting team,

Invited Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A pleasant good morning. Distinguished colleagues, I bring you warm greetings, on behalf of the Board of Governors, management and staff of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, known as the 5Cs, that is located in Belize.

The 5Cs was established in 2002 by the CARICOM Heads of Government with a mandate to coordinate the Caribbean’s response to climate change. Besides coordinating CARICOM’s positions leading up to the annual UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP), the 5Cs continue to work with regional partners and CARICOM Member States to ensure that relevant and Caribbean-specific climate data and information are available and accessible to enable evidence-based decision making – a role that is even more critical as the Region grapples with an escalating and worsening climate crisis. Since 2005, the 5Cs has successfully mobilized and implemented over USD $260 M in climate change related investments across the Region.

In this capacity as a delivery partner for the Government of Italy and Saint Lucia for this project, I am both privileged and proud to join you here today to participate in this momentous launch and handover of this state-of-the art Geo Information Centre that was made possible with funding of €2.17M euros from the Government of Italy. The project was implemented by 5Cs in close collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Transport, Physical Development and Urban Renewal.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are living in unprecedented times. We are grappling with two crises of unprecedented proportions: COVID-19 and climate change, with the latter posing an existential crisis for Saint Lucians, the Caribbean and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Unlike vaccines that can slow and eventually stop the transmission of the SARS-COV2 virus, climate change has no such elixir. The solutions are far more complex, expensive and political. Yet, the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC)  Sixth Assessment Report, published in August 2021, is both damning and dire and portends the increasing adverse impacts of climate change that will continue to pummel the Caribbean. The planet has already warmed by 1.1 degrees Celsius since 1850.  We  are on track to surpass the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees within the next decade, unless the world undertakes dramatic cuts of greenhouse gases by 45% by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.

The region, and all SIDS, went to COP26 expecting that we would see bold global leadership commensurate with clear actions, particularly from the G7 and G20, that would keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius; sadly, we returned with commitments that fell far short of what is required. We are still on a path to reach 2.4 degrees based on the National Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by the over 190 countries to the Paris Agreement. This is devastating for us in the Caribbean. The Implications are severe.

Temperatures will continue to increase. Heat waves will become more frequent and intense and we will see further increase in daytime and nighttime temperatures. Droughts will increase in frequency and intensity, so will extreme rainfall events, which will result in devasting floods that will threaten lives and livelihoods. Our oceans will get warmer and this will result in stress and bleaching of our corals, which will threaten our fishing and tourism…and yes, we can expect stronger hurricanes that will leave a trail of devastation behind that will undermine our sustainable development trajectory. We will be forced to re-live the nightmarish memories of the 2017 and 2019 Hurricane season over and over again. This is not hyperbole. We are already seeing and living this reality across the region – except that the situation will become far worse with every incremental increase in global temperatures.

However, even under the “Code Red” for humanity, countries must continue to scale up efforts to build their resilience, and adapt, where possible, to climate change. To this end, having access to real time data and early warning systems are critical prerequisites to building resilience and keeping our population safe. This is why today’s event – the handing over of the Geo-Information Centre –  made possible by the significant investment from the Government of Italy, is so important for Saint Lucia and indeed the wider Caribbean. This project commenced in 2018 between the 5Cs, as the implementing entity, and the then Italian Ministry of Land and Sea, now Ministry of Ecological Transformation (MiTE), and the Government of Saint Lucia. Subsequently, 5Cs and E-GEOS, the consulting firm, entered into a contract that has now delivered one of the most significant early warning systems to be deployed in the region – right here in Saint Lucia.

The Geo-information Centre (GIC) will significantly advance Saint Lucia’s capacity and Early Warning capabilities to hydro-meteorological events such as floods and extreme weather events. The GIC, I am told, is one-of-its-kind in the Caribbean – so far. It will allow new capabilities that hitherto would have been impossible. The appropriate agencies will now have the tools and capacity to make real time, urgent and evidence-based decisions that will save lives. Importantly, the GIC will allow the seamless integration of data from different sources, including ground and satellite sources, to generate a ‘unified picture’ of weather and flood events that will transform the ability of the appropriate agencies to make evidence-based decisions to guide disaster preparedness, response, disaster/damage assessment and recovery.

I won’t dwell on all the technical capabilities that would be enabled by the Geo-information Centre, as I know e-GEOS will highlight these. However, I am excited by the possibilities that the GIC can play in helping Saint Lucia unlock climate finance to further build its climate resilience. With this Geo-Information Centre operational, Saint Lucia will now have access to critical data that will be indispensable to the development of funding proposals to improve its climate resilience. It will be in a better position to provide the “climate rationale” that is required by donors such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The 5Cs, early in 2022, will undertake LiDAR topographic and bathymetric surveys in key areas in Saint Lucia, as part of a CDB-funded project, that will also generate high-resolution geo-spatial data that will complement the data capabilities of the GIC. Having access to these data sources will significantly improve Saint Lucia’s ability to attract climate finance, at scale, to improve its climate resilience and disaster preparedness and response. The 5Cs looks forward to working closely with the Government of Saint Lucia to design and develop a climate resilience programme of work, aligned to its national priorities, with funding from  the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund and other bi-later partners. Thus, this GIC will continue to provide dividends to the people of Saint Lucia for decades to come.

While we are here to celebrate this handing over at this auspicious ceremony, it is important to note that the delivery of the GIC is also a testament to our people’s resilience. Despite the many disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that delayed the shipping of equipment and the travel of e-GEOS team because of lockdowns in Saint Lucia and Italy, which resulted in the postponement of  the installation of the radar and other equipment, and that placed heavy demands on our civil servants, we collectively persevered and delivered. We are a resilient people. Today’s event is a demonstration of our resolve and determination to succeed even as we continue to face two unprecedented crises. To this end, I must extend heartfelt congratulations to the Ministry for Infrastructure, Ports, Transport, Physical Development and Urban Renewal,  in particular, the Permanent Secretary, Ivor Daniel and his team, the Chief Met officer, Andre Joyeux and his team, the Water Resources Management Agency, and others, working in concert with the firm of Paola Nicolosi and her team from e-GEOS. This  has exemplified  a true team effort that brought this project to a satisfying and successful conclusion. I cannot forget the staff of the 5Cs who worked hard to ensure that the project was completed.

The GIC is now in your hands. Your collective responsibilities are to protect and maintain this system so that Saint Lucia can reap the full benefits of this state-of-the-art system, save lives, and improve its  climate resilience. This is only the start of a long journey  ahead that will be made easier with continued collaboration among met office, the water resources management agency, hydromet, the national emergency management office and other key partners here in Saint  Lucia. Your continued partnership will be indispensable to the long-term success of this project for years to come. There will be bumps and potholes but with the same level of resolve and resilience demonstrated to date, I am confident that all will be well. The 5Cs looks forward, with great enthusiasm, in continuing to work with the Government of Saint Lucia.

Our most sincere gratitude to the government and people of Italy for making this investment in transforming Saint Lucia’s early warning capabilities that will undoubtedly redound to improving its climate resilience.

I thank you.