By Cherika Johnson, Guardian Intern

cherika@nasguard.com

Global warming will affect millions around the world in a few decades, but the Bahamas and other Caribbean islands are expected to receive more immediate climate change threats, said Earlston McPhee, director of Sustainable Development in the Ministry of Tourism.

In fact, Mr. McPhee said in a press release that the Bahamas and other Caribbean islands are already dealing with the effects of climate changes, adding that climatologists and meteorologists have linked the gradual increase in global temperatures to the common occurrences of hurricanes, which he said are becoming more intense in scale.

"We are located in a region that must grapple with hurricanes and their effects on a yearly basis for six months of the year," he said. "We cannot ignore the situation, and we must be prepared to deal with whatever might come our way."

The release stated that according to the Adapting to Climate Change in the Caribbean Project (ACCCP) small island states have almost no effect on climate change since they account for only one percent of the gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Developing states account for 25 percent, while the world's industrial powers produce more than 50 percent of the harmful global emissions.

Mr. McPhee said, "The experts are saying that small island states and low-lyng coastal states have contributed little to global warming, but we are among the most vulnerable to its effects. We have no control over it, but we are forced to implement appropriate adaptation strategies to ensure that we survive."

The release stated that the United Nations report said that a possible food shortage for 130 million people is expected by 2050 due to warming temperatures. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggested that a 3.6 degree rise in mean air temperature could minimise rain fed rice production in China by five percent and just less than ten percent in Bangladesh, the report said. Meanwhile, wheat yields could decline by a third by 2050 producing a hunger threat to millions around the world.

In response to the Bahamas' need to adapt to global warming, the Ministry of Tourism has organized a public seminar on climate change: Climate Change- Hurricanes and Adaptation Strategies for the Bahamas in which several Bahamians and international experts have been scheduled to clarify the Bahamian position and explain what steps the Bahamians can take to prepare for the effects of climate change.

Among the speakers is Arthur Rolle, director of Bahamas Meteorological Services who will speak on Climate Change and the Bahamas: The Bahamian Perspective. Mr. Rolle is permanent representative of the Bahamas with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In addition to his meteorological expertise, he serves as chairman of the National Climate Change Committee of the Bahamas Environment Science and Technology Commission.

Other presenters at the seminar are: Carl Smith, director of NEMA; Craig Delancy of the Ministry of Works and former directors of the National Hurricane Center (Miami) Dr. Bob Sheets and Dr. Max Mayfield.

The seminar will be offered free of charge on April 17 from 6pm-8pm at British Colonial Hilton.