Antigua and Barbuda

Environmental Implications

Antigua and Barbuda ranks 77th in the world in terms of emissions of carbon dioxide per capita (4.8 metric tons per capita in 1990), with the amount fluctuating slightly until 2003, when the country exceeded its 1990 figure and recorded 5 metric tons per capita. This has since risen gradually and now stands at 5.1 metric tons per capita. In recent years, there has been a steady bleaching of coral reefs near the island of Antigua, and rising water temperature has also affected the diversity of fish in the coral reefs. It is also expected that with rising sea level, low-lying parts of Antigua and Barbuda could be flooded. Part of Antigua's role in global warming has been played out through its tourist industry. This is both in terms of the tourist flights in and out of the country, often from distant locations, as well as the heavy demand tourists make on the infrastructure of the island in terms of power (most of which is produced through liquid fuels) and water usage, as well as the increased importation of food and produce to the island. The extensive use of water by the tourist industry has even led to some shortages for the agricultural sector. In an attempt to offset some of these problems, there have been proposals since the mid-1980s to try to harness wind energy.

To combat climate change and global warming, the government of Antigua is a party of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which they signed on March 16, 1998, and ratified on November 3, 1998. Much of this impetus came from the realization that Antigua and Barbuda faces a major threat from climate change if rising water levels make low-lying areas of the islands extremely vulnerable. There has also been a move toward the use of renewable energy, which has been supported by some politicians in the country. However, this has been controversial, as Antigua Public Utilities—in charge of energy generation in the country—has already been criticized because of its high prices that have impinged on the poor.

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