February 1, 2021
Congratulations to Andrew Simmons (St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 1994) on the publication of his new book, Impacts of Climate Change on Young People in Small Island Communities.
The book is an expansion of Andrew’s PhD thesis and argues that youths are generally excluded from research, studies, and planning on climate change but face the brunt of climate impacts. The book explores how young people can contribute to climate change resiliency in their local communities and provides a conceptual framework for research on the effect of climate change on youths.
The work also emphasizes the disproportionate impact of climate change on small island developing states—an issue of personal significance for Andrew, a native of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is one of 38 United Nations countries and 20 non-UN member countries identified as the most vulnerable to climate change. The effects will be felt both economically and physically by islanders—ocean warming harms coral reefs, a natural resource vital to island economies and livelihoods, and changing temperatures increase the spread of vector diseases and acute respiratory infections. Finally, climate change threatens to harm eco-tourism, further decreasing the economic vitality of the region.
The book features a foreword by Michael Sutton, executive director of the Goldman Prize, and is available for purchase online.
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