by Rajiv Jalim – CNS Contributor
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Sep 28 2015 – One year later, and the coastline at Manzanilla, East Trinidad, is still recovering. As a Barrier beach, it is fronted by long strips of sandy beaches with an enclosed lagoon behind it. However, after three days of persistent rain in November 2014, the entire coastal zone was submerged and the main access road running parallel to the beach was destroyed at several points. Infrastructure in the area was severely damaged and many residents were heavily impacted by flooding of their homes and agricultural plots. The rainy season in Trinidad is usually predictable; however, this event was indeed extreme and rare.
The coastline of Trinidad is under threat and it’s no secret. As the iconic coconut trees continue to give way under the pressure of an encroaching sea, it is evident the wheels of climate change are in motion, and we may be a little too late to stop its effects.
In addition to the East coast, Trinidad’s South-West peninsula is experiencing rapid erosion. Despite being considered a sheltered area, satellite images have shown large portions of land being lost to the Gulf of Paria over a short period of time.
Such effects are of grave concern for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and climate scientists predict these impacts to only worsen in the near future. According to the World Bank Report “Turn Down the Heat”, Earth is locked into a 1.5°C rise in temperature above pre-industrial times. Consequently, significant changes in the sea level due to Arctic ice melting coupled with predicted increases in the intensity and frequency of storm and hurricane events, which alter the wave climate and increases wave energy, are expected to accelerate coastal erosion.
With Trinidad’s East coast sustaining several developing communities, the annual nesting of the endangered leatherback turtle and as a famed, local, recreational spot, coastal management is of utmost importance in maintaining its integrity.
Subsequent to reports of the extensive damage at Manzanilla, emergency services responded through a coordinated effort between Government agencies and Ministries to bring relief to those affected. At an estimated cost of 5.8 million USD, rehabilitation work combined the expertise of academics and researchers with coastal management organizations and engineering firms, both local and international. From the damages seen it was apparent that the roadway collapsed as it was undermined by fast-flowing surface and groundwater caused by the excessive rainfall. Undermining also lead to the slippage of land beneath the tourist beach facility and caused parts of the beachfront to collapse.
One year later, key learnings are still being generated from data collected after the event and the ongoing analysis of the circumstances which led to the extensive damage on the beachfront. It is from these analyses that gaps in the coastal management plans and developmental strategies for the East coast can be identified. Perhaps the most significant gap has been the lack of sufficient hydrological and maritime data for the island which could be used to develop models and improve the predictive power for rare disasters. Although extraordinary events such as the Manzanilla flood do occur infrequently, it is clear that the potential to cause damage and incur significant costs is extensive. As such, predicting and preparing for such events based on scientific knowledge can reduce not only their impacts, but also the recovery time.
Looking beyond Trinidad to the wider Caribbean region, and even including other SIDS across the world, coastal erosion as an effect of climate change is severely dangerous. Mitigation strategies must extend past revetments and seawalls and look at policy support, planning strategies and contingency mapping. Additionally, there is a need for increased public-private partnerships across the globe, where resources, creativity, expertise and innovation can be expanded and exchanged to deal with coastal management in a sustainable manner.
On the global front, collective responsibility forms part of the solution; responsibility to accept that anthropogenic activities by the industrialized nations have expedited changes in the global climate system which today, we are struggling to counteract and cope with. Sectors participating in unsustainable deforestation, excessive carbon pollution and irresponsible environmental degradation must be pressured to accept responsibility for their actions and pay up in the form of investments in environmental rehabilitation and sustainable development, as both are desperately needed in SIDS.
Looking ahead, the next round of climate change talks in Paris 2015 must see not only a renewed commitment by the world leaders to act on climate change, but see more ambitious goals established for: reduced greenhouse gas emissions, regulated extraction of natural resources, and rehabilitation of damaged environmental areas. Furthermore, the impacts of human population growth, global conflicts and poverty must be given considerable attention as they all contribute to environmental degradation and thereby climate change. From the technological front, incentives must be provided for continued research and development of climate technologies both in the prevention and the adaptation aspects. The expected outcome of Paris 2015 is therefore, increased pressure on the organizations contributing to the problem, while encouraging and supporting those working towards the solution.
Further from these climate talks, it is hopeful that specific attention be given to the island nations experiencing the effects of coastline degradation. Uncompensated damages to fisheries from sedimentation, tourism from beach devastation and agriculture from saltwater intrusion, must be addressed.
In the meantime, the hastily built seawall, boardwalk and main road on the Manzanilla beach will again have to stand the test of the Atlantic and the veiled effects of climate change. Only time will tell if feats of engineering can withstand the changing environment, or will the island of Trinidad be left sinking slowly, but surely.
