The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica W.I. Tuesday, February 4, 2025— The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is pleased to announce that 13 of its experts are co-authors of a groundbreaking inaugural study that highlights the increasing health risks posed by climate change to Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Dr Georgiana Gordon-Strachan, Director of the Tropical Metabolism Research Unit in the University’s Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR), was the lead author of 35 researchers from the Pacific, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Europe, the Americas, Oceania, and Asia who collaborated on ‘The 2024 Report of the Lancet Countdown Small Island Developing States: On the frontline of health impacts, spearheading the call for action. The Report was led and managed by The UWI.
Published annually, the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change is an international, multidisciplinary collaboration that monitors the changing health profile associated with climate change. It also provides an independent assessment of the progress made by governments worldwide in fulfilling their commitments under the Paris Agreement. The 2024 SIDS Report illustrates the growing health risks these vulnerable communities face due to climate change. Increasing emissions and climate issues threaten the survival of SIDS. The Report utilises data from global Lancet Countdown reports from 2023 and 2024 and provides critical information on how climate change affects these communities, along with mitigation, adaptation, economic capacity, and community engagement strategies.
Commenting on the Report and the current situation for SIDS, Dr Gordon-Strachan, who also serves as Executive Director of the Regional Centre for Small Island Developing States of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, stated, “SIDS are at the sharp end of the climate crisis, with peoples’ health and wellbeing compromised as the planet warms, the oceans rise, and extreme weather becomes more frequent”.
Professor Michelle Mycoo, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning in the Faculty of Engineering at The UWI, St Augustine Campus, highlighted the urgency of the situation for SIDS. She stated, “Small island leaders are sounding the alarm, taking the forefront in catalysing action, while the nations most responsible for this crisis continue to linger and delay.”
Dr Harewood, a Lecturer in Public Health and Epidemiology and Head of the Public Health Group at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at The UWI, Cave Hill, added, “Our collage of evidence on small island vulnerabilities is a clarion call for climate justice: Small islands, big voices!”
The Report will be launched during a live online event on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 4:30 PM EST/Jamaica Time. This event will feature the authors and guests who will delve into the study’s findings, including health outcomes, data-driven strategies, and perspectives from the global contributors.
The event is being co-hosted by Professor Marshall Tulloch-Reid, Director of CAIHR. Professor Tulloch-Reid noted, “This Lancet Countdown Report forms part of CAIHR’s mandate to enhance the health and wellbeing of Caribbean and global populations through our innovative research and strategic partnerships and to provide timely knowledge for sustainable development. As we celebrate 25 years as a UWI Centre Institute, we will continue to tackle this and other issues that threaten the health gains that the Caribbean has made as a region over the last 75 years.”
Dr Harewood, Dr Abigail Harrison, Senior Lecturer and Consultant Paediatrician/Adolescent Medicine at the UWI Hospital, Professor Denise Eldemire, Senior Lecturer at Mona, and Dr David C. Smith, Coordinator of the Institute for Sustainable Development and Director of the Centre for Environmental Management, are also set to speak during the launch.
The involvement of The UWI academics highlights the University’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in climate action. Focusing on climate change and sustainable development, The UWI has gained recognition as a key information source for SIDS. Over the last decade, the University has formed partnerships with other institutions to promote sustainable development. In 2024, UWI launched the International School for Development Justice (ISDJ), the world’s first global business school dedicated to online graduate programmes focusing on leadership in the SDGs.
The complete list of UWI expert contributors to the inaugural indicator 2024 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Report is as follows:
Faculty of Engineering, The UWI, St Augustine
– Prof. Michelle A. Mycoo
Faculty of Medical Sciences, The UWI, Cave Hill
– Dr. Heather C. Harewood
Faculty of Medical Sciences, The UWI, St Augustine
– Dr. Sandeep B. Maharaj,
– Prof. Christopher A. L. Oura
George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, The UWI, Cave Hill
– Dr. Madhuvanti Murphy
Institute for Sustainable Development
– Dr. David C. Smith
Tropical Metabolism Research Unit at the Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR)
– Dr Georgiana M. Gordon-Strachan
– Mrs. Natalie G. Guthrie-Dixon
– Dr. Kwesi G. Marshall
– Dr. Shelly R. McFarlane
– Ms. Kimberley S. McKenzie
– Mr. Kimalie F. Parchment
– Ms. Stephanie Y. Parker
For more information or to register for the virtual launch event, click here.
