Latin American parliaments move to tackle Caribbean Sargassum damage
Faced with the effects of climate change in the Caribbean, which pose serious threats to food security, biodiversity, and tourism, the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino), meeting in Santo Domingo, decided to coordinate actions to find solutions to the problem.
The president of the body, Rolando González Patricio, stated that the Caribbean region faces multiple challenges that require collaboration among the various parliaments.
“The Caribbean is one of the places on the planet where, unfortunately, it is easiest to witness the sad environmental crisis the planet is currently suffering. We are talking about the climate crisis, and of course, we are talking about the threat posed by the biodiversity crisis,” he stated.
Congressman Jorge Hugo Cavoli, Vice President of the Special Commission for the Caribbean in the Dominican Parliament, announced the drafting of a Parliamentary Charter on Climate Action and the declaration of a Sargassum emergency in Caribbean nations, given its significant impact on tourism, the region’s main economic driver. “Sargassum is an issue that has generated much concern, and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) has had the responsibility to acknowledge the existence of this problem and to initiate joint actions to address it, because doing so individually would be very difficult,” Cavoli explained.
He noted that this seaweed is a new challenge, since Sargassum did not exist in the region until a few years ago.
Another topic addressed by the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) was food security, a problem severely impacted in the region’s countries by climate change. The Dominican Republic can contribute to this effort, noting that the country was recently declared “zero hunger” by the FAO. It was noted that the Dominican Republic currently produces between 85 and 90% of the food consumed by its population, unlike other Caribbean nations, which import between 80 and 90% of their food.
Amplified voice for small countries
The Chair of the Commission, Senator Otami SS Thomasia of Aruba, emphasized that this is a great opportunity for small countries to have a voice in the regional arena. For his part, Alfredo Pacheco, President of the Commission, stated that it was an important meeting during which the Special Commission for the Caribbean was established.
