In celebration of Earth Day 2020, the global science and policy institute Climate Analytics has released a video documentary that features the efforts of civil society organisations and individuals in the fight against climate change.
In August 2019, in order to help keep a focus on the climate crisis and the need for urgent action at global, regional, national and community levels, Climate Analytics and the Institute for Small Islands convened a meeting to discuss the “Implications of Global Warming for a Small Island State like Trinidad and Tobago”.
The video presents highlights from that encounter. “We are at the frontline against climate change”, says Caroline Mair-Toby, Founder and Director of the Institute for Small Islands in introducing the video, and “as small islands, the world over, it is important that we tell our own stories”. This new documentary does precisely this, telling the story of ground-breaking climate action in Trinidad and Tobago and showing the connectedness between the various efforts.
In the video, Rueanna Haynes, Senior Legal Advisor at Climate Analytics, reminds us that “under the Paris Agreement, countries have undertaken pledges to take action against climate change … [but] the 10-year time frame before us is our last chance to be able to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels”. In this documentary, civil society and other actors in Trinidad and Tobago stress that urgency, and demonstrate that everyone has a role to play in the fight against climate change.
Climate Analytics was formed in 2008 to bring cutting edge science and policy analysis to bear on one of the most pressing global problems of our time: human-induced climate change. It is motivated by the desire to empower those most vulnerable – Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries – to use the best science and analysis available in the international climate negotiations, as well as developing policies and institutional capacity to adapt to climate change.
Climate Analytics undertakes extensive research on the 1.5°C temperature limit in the Paris Agreement, and the risks and vulnerabilities these countries face. It also evaluates progress on climate action and shows governments how they can act on their policies to keep global warming to this limit.
The Institute for Small Islands is an independent research and policy institute that provides a forum for discussion of issues important to small island states and communities around the world. Based in Trinidad & Tobago, it brings together thought leaders from the public sector, private sector, academia, and civil society, creating spaces for discourse, problem-solving, and action. Its goal is to study small islands across the globe from an interdisciplinary angle; to encourage comprehensive and rigorous analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing small islands; to facilitate the exchange of information on small islands between the academic and professional spheres and broader mainstream media; and to make issues facing small islands accessible and understandable to anyone wanting to know more.