Dominica’s People Stay On The Island Despite Being In The Storm’s Eye

By Hanan Redwan Published on January 08, 2024

Once upon a time, I took my family on a Caribbean cruise that docked on the island of Dominica — 290 square miles of rugged mountainous terrain. We circled down and through its rainforest until reaching a splendid waterfall. It’s the only excursion I can recall from that summer trip nearly two decades ago.

Dominica is known as the Caribbean’s nature island — a big mountain emerging from the ocean. Agriculture once dominated the economy, but eco-tourism is now the primary breadwinner: waterfalls, hiking, and bird watching. However, the island sits in the center of a hurricane zone, subjecting it to repeated body slams. Ideally, carbon finance would cover the cost of repairs, although Dominica relies on its national pride and limited federal treasure.

“We always have our fingers crossed,” Dominica’s director of forestry, wildlife, and parks, Minchinton Burton, told me during COP28 in Dubai. “When we have storms and troughs, there is heavy flooding. The storms are becoming more frequent and intense — much different than in the past.”

Hurricane Maria, with Category 5 winds, hit the island in 2017, wiping out 226% of its gross domestic product. That led to the defoliation and destruction of 85% of the country’s forests. Six years on, it is still recovering.

In actuality, 60% of Dominica’s landmass is forests. The trees are not just economic engines. They also absorb atmospheric CO2, benefitting the advanced nations that produce most of the CO2. The country’s deforestation rates from agriculture and construction are nominal, although natural disasters have taken a toll economically and environmentally.

That’s why climate finance is vital to low-lying and island nations, which are developing and producing minimal CO2 emissions. Yet, they suffer the wrath of extreme weather events and the subsequent damages: coastal erosion, rising tides, and deteriorating infrastructure.

To that end, some advanced nations vowed to contribute to the “loss and damage fund” at COP28 in Dubai. For example, the United Arab Emirates promised $100 million while the European Union swore $245 million, with $100 million coming from Germany. The United States and Japan will kick in $17.5 million and $10 million, respectively.

“We are skeptical about loss and damage,” Director Burton says. “We aren’t betting our lives on it based on experience. Most of the time, the funds trickle in.”

Each journey begins with a single step. However, the loss and damage contributions are more like a slow crawl. Consider Africa, with 1.3 billion people: Climate change costs $5 billion to $7 billion yearly — projected to rise to $50 billion by 2030. The African Development Bank said the continent needs $2.7 trillion between 2020 and 2030.

Hanan Redwan

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