April was a big month for the Beach Bum. BeachCorps was invited by the Clinton Global Initiative to join a nonprofit and private sector delegation to visit the island of Dominica (no, not the Dominican Republic) in the eastern Caribbean. The delegation went to learn more about Nature Island and its goal to become the first climate resilient nation in the world in coordination with the Government of Dominica and the telecommunications company Digicel Dominica. Digicel has an amazing program of support on the island and is at the center of numerous public-private partnerships. The delegation included representatives from multiple nonprofits (World Central Kitchen, Catchafire, CORE Community Organized Response Effort, Starkey Hearing Foundation, Direct Relief and Tides); a New York fashion designer with an interest in using the fashion industry for development; Tropical Shipping – Dominica; and an executive from the Expedia Group, which has a strong corporate social responsibility in Dominica. The delegation shared ideas in the health sector, agriculture, energy and sustainable tourism.
Dominica has an official population of 71,293 (2011 census), but the current population is probably 20% less in recent years due to emigration following natural disasters, most notably Tropical Storm Erika in 2015 and Hurricane Maria in 2017. Dominica is rightly known as “The Nature Island. It is home to the amazing “Boiling Lake” (look but don’t touch and NEVER go in, it will burn you!), the world’s second-largest hot spring, lush mountainous rainforests and many rare plants, animals and bird species. The island is also home to Morne Trois Pitons National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 365 Rivers, 3 lakes and 8 inactive volcanoes. Besides the gorgeous nature, the country boasts amazing, friendly English speaking people and a safe environment for tourism.
Dominica is a small nation that has had hardly any impact on global climate, yet it has borne an enormous burden from the effects of climate change. The experience of Dominica shows the great inequity that is the problem of climate change. Those who cause the most harm are often the least aware of the consequences, and vice versa. The same is true of the young; the world’s young are often not the ones contributing the most to climate change but they will be the ones who pay the most.
Dominicans have the ability to create the world’s first climate resistant country. The Beach Bum has seen them in action. They are “Dominica Strong.”
#DominicaStrong #Dominica #ClimateChange #SustainableTourism #ClimateResilient
