St. John’s Antigua- Antigua and Barbuda could face losses of up to 18 per cent of gross domestic product – GDP – because of climate change.

And it’s being urged to enforce legislation, improve environmental data, and strengthen the country’s environmental agencies.

This is contained in a new United Nations report released at the UN Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar.

The findings are based on specific projections in the Pacific region but experts say the risks are very similar in the Caribbean.

 

The economic losses will result from sea level rise, floods and drought, combined with pressures from unsustainable fishing practices and coastal development.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Chief Environment Officer Dianne Black-Layne is attending the Doha conference.

She says the country is pushing to meet its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol in order to mitigate effects.

Meantime, Blacklayne said negotiations for a new Kyoto protocol are getting very difficult.

She noted however that the delegates still want to reach an agreement that has a small amount of ambition.

Chief Environmental Officer, Diane Black-Layne.

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked that sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.