Speaking at the United Nations Climate Summit (COP25) in Madrid, President Danilo Medina advocated for ways to mitigate the damage caused by hurricanes and tropical storms. Damages are estimated at equivalent to 2.6% of GDP in the Caribbean.
President Medina suggested greater investment in mitigation, with increased emergency funds, protecting of the most vulnerable and the use of social networks to mitigate disaster. The investment in prevention implies improving the resilience of infrastructures, establishing early warning systems, and more work to reduce gas emissions. Medina recommended that the emergency funds be managed by the United Nations to protect the areas of the planet that are most affected by climate change and natural disasters.
Medina called for protecting the most vulnerable as after a hurricane it is essential to quickly re-establish education, health centers, electricity and other essential public services.
Medina spoke of how on average, a dozen storms hit the Caribbean region each year, half of which are hurricanes, and that the Caribbean is ten times more vulnerable to such storms than the rest of the world.
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Listin Diario
Listin Diario
3 December 2019