Kingdom climate report cites Hurricane Irma displacement on St. Maarten
A joint Dutch climate and migration report says about 7,000 people were displaced on St. Maarten after Hurricane Irma in 2017.
The People’s Tribune reported that a joint report by the Netherlands’ Advisory Council on Migration and Scientific Climate Council cites St. Maarten’s experience after Hurricane Irma as an example of climate-related displacement within the Kingdom. The 62-page report, In beweging komen, or Getting Moving, was published on 23 September.
According to the report, about 7,000 people, more than 15% of St. Maarten’s population at the time, were displaced after Irma in September 2017. It says damage to infrastructure temporarily isolated the country, disrupted incoming relief supplies and communications, and contributed to social unrest.
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The report identifies St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius as exposed to hurricane risks. It says climate risks in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom include heat, drought, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, coral and mangrove loss, coastal erosion, and stronger storms with heavier rainfall.
The councils said climate change should not be treated as the only reason people move. The report lists employment, education, healthcare, family connections, housing, income and wider social and economic conditions as factors in migration decisions.
The report calls for Kingdom countries and territories to prepare jointly for extreme weather and temporary displacement, while investing in measures such as resilient housing, stronger infrastructure and water management. It also calls for more research and monitoring of climate-related migration, including movement from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom to the European Netherlands.
The People’s Tribune reported that the joint report was presented on Wednesday to Dutch Special Envoy for Migration Peter Schuurman.
File photo: Trish Hartmann / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · cropped, SXM Today mark added
