UNIC and UN Environment host online regional round table on air-pollution

17 July 2019 – UN Environment Caribbean Sub-regional Office with the support from UNIC hosted a regional round table on air-pollution. The event brought together presenters from Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago. The aim of this activity was to discuss:

• The problem, effects, impacts on health, climate and industries as well as related concerns surrounding air pollution in the Caribbean  
• The importance of cross- sectoral approaches to addressing the issue of air pollution in the Caribbean- and what is currently being done.
• A sectoral approach- Successful approaches in sectors such as transportation.
• Practical steps governments, NGO’s and private sector entities can take in efforts to curb air pollution in the Caribbean.

Presenters spoke about Member States challenges with air-pollution and highlighted good practices or policies that were being implemented to reduce carbon and other aerosol emissions that negatively impact on the health of people in the region. 

Air-pollution in the Caribbean, according to some of the speakers present has two sources, local or controllable pollution because of commercial and residential consumer practices and non-controllable or international phenomena particularly ground level ozone and Sahara dust, according to Dr. Azad Mohammed from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine. He also spoke about the increasing rates of adults and children who develop respiratory illnesses because of air-pollution and climate change citing the interconnectivity between them.

The on-line regional roundtable discussion that was streamed live on UNIC’s Facebook page, also included information about climate actions being taken by Caribbean States like, setting targets for using mostly renewable, sustainable energy, phasing out fossil fuel-based vehicles and strategies for addressing future health care issues that are connected to air-pollution or impacted by it.  

Photo gallery of the event.

Infographics