Climate change knows no borders. A failure to address climate change today means the costs of that inaction will invariably be passed down to future generations. Perhaps no region in the world faces a graver threat from climate change than the Caribbean, which, despite its small contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, still stands as one of the most climate-vulnerable regions in the world. Given rising global emissions, scientists expect the effects of natural disasters and sea-level rise to worsen by 2050, putting the livelihoods of people in the Caribbean at significant risk. As new climate-related events inevitably arise, international cooperation will be vital for disaster recovery and resilience. To promote collaboration between key U.S. and Caribbean actors, Global Americans has assembled policymakers, scholars, government officials, and civil society representatives to form a High-Level Working Group on Climate Change in the Caribbean. In addition to publishing a series of reports on the social, political, and economic impacts of climate change in the region, Global Americans will convene a series of public and private roundtables. These conversations will allow policymakers to engage across various issues under the climate change umbrella.
The fight against climate change is at a critical inflection point. Given that climate change will have global impacts, only enduring and coordinated efforts can adequately address the problem. Therefore, this project will provide an ongoing forum where U.S. and Caribbean representatives can collaboratively shape the hemisphere’s agenda on climate change. The project will address a myriad of climate change issues, including––among others––climate finance, climate resilience, illicit economic activities, and the future of the blue economy.
- Ine Apapoe (Suriname) Lecturer, Anton de Kom University
- Verónica Arias (Ecuador) Executive Director, CC35
- Dr. Anthony T. Bryan (Trinidad and Tobago) Non-resident Senior Associate, CSIS
- Dr. Samantha Chaitram (Trinidad and Tobago) Lecturer, Trinidad and Tobago Police Training Academy
- Amb. Anton Edmunds (St. Lucia) Senior Advisor on Caribbean Affairs, Inter-American Development Bank; Former St. Lucia Ambassador to the United States
- Dr. Georges Fauriol (United States) Fellow, Global Americans; Co-chair, Caribbean Policy Consortium
- Allison Fedirka (United States) Director of Analysis, Geopolitical Futures
- Dr. Richard Feinberg (United States) Member, Global Americans International Advisory Council; Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Diego
- Shiloh Fetzek (United States) Senior Fellow, Center for Climate and Security
- Amb. Carlos C. Fuller (Belize) Belize Permanent Representative to the United Nations
- Ama Francis (Dominica) Climate Displacement Project Strategist, International Refugee Assistance Project
- John Goedschalk (Suriname) Executive Director, Conservation International-Suriname
- Dr. Ivelaw Griffith (Guyana) Fellow, Global Americans; Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Guyana
- Rasheed Griffith (Barbados) Non-resident Senior Fellow, Inter-American Dialogue
- Dr. Legena Henry (Trinidad and Tobago) Lecturer, University of the West Indies, Cavehill
- Amb. Riyad Insanally (Guyana) Former Guyana Ambassador to the United States and the OAS
- Dr. Scott B. MacDonald (United States) Fellow, Global Americans; Chief Economist, Smith’s Research & Gradings
- Dame Billie Miller (Barbados) Member, Global Americans International Advisory Council; Former Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados
- Anaitée Mills (Jamaica) Chair, Jamaica Energy Resilience Alliance
- Luis Gilberto Murillo (Colombia) On Leave, Global Americans International Advisory Council; Colombia Ambassador to the United States
- Dr. Claire Nelson (Jamaica) Founder and Director, Institute of Caribbean Studies
- Heiny Palacios (Colombia) Youth Environment Network Chocó, Lead Organizer
- Dr. Justin Ram (Barbados) Former Director of Economics, Caribbean Development Bank
- Ivan Rebolledo (United States) Chair, Global Americans Board of Directors; Managing Partner, TerraNova Strategic Partners LLC
- Alex Rosaria (Curaçao) Former Member, Parliament of Curaçao
- Sir Ronald Sanders (Antigua and Barbuda) Antigua and Barbuda Ambassador to the United States and the OAS
- Dr. Kalim Shah (Trinidad and Tobago) Assistant Professor, University of Delaware
- Dr. Lorraine Sobers (Trinidad and Tobago) Lecturer, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
- Tulio Vera (Chile) Chair, Global Americans International Advisory Council; Former Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Latin America Private Bank
- Lisa Viscidi (United States) Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting
- Bruce Zagaris (United States) Partner, Berliner Corcoran & Rowe LLP