---

Earlier this week the waters of the Caribbean Sea spawned a weather system that could have, though ultimately did not, become the year's first hurricane.

We are all more attentive to hurricanes this year mainly because last year, 2005, was the busiest and most damaging hurricane season on record.

According to the National Climate Data Center, 2005 was a record breaker with 27 named storms (the previous record was 21 in 1933), 14 hurricanes (the previous record was 12 in 1969) and three Category 5 hurricanes — the most powerful category on the Safir-Simpson scale (the previous record was two in 1960 and 1961). The 2005 season was also the most financially destructive in the U.S. from storms making landfall there, mostly due to Hurricane Katrina. Estimated storm-caused damage for the 2005 season is over $100 billion.

More frequent and more intense storms are just two of the expected outcomes of the global warming trend we are experiencing. Others are changes in rainfall patterns resulting in increased flooding and/or droughts, shifting of weather zones resulting in crops damage, and rising sea levels causing severe coastal erosion and loss of low-lying land.

Last year, the Caribbean region of the southern Atlantic Ocean experienced record temperatures.

An area of ocean spreading from west of Cuba to east of Barbados had not only the highest temperatures on record but these temperatures were sustained longer than ever before. Around Barbados, for example, water temperatures reached 30 degrees (Centigrade) and elevated temperatures lasted for 2.5 months. Most astonishing, these were not just surface measurements. These high temperatures were being measured 30 metres (90 feet) below the ocean surface.

As a consequence, in 2005 Barbados experienced the most severe coral bleaching event on record. Coral bleaching occurs when corals expel their zooxanthellae, the photosynthetic algae that live symbiotically within the coral polyps. Without the algae, the corals are deprived of nutrients and in a couple of weeks can starve to death. In Barbados, over 90 per cent of all coral species were affected.

Most of us aren't aware that coral reef ecosystems are second only to rainforests as the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet. In addition to the wealth of marine life they provide home and protection to, coral reefs protect coastlines from the erosive force of waves. This is especially important for islands like Bermuda.

Unfortunately, Bermuda is among the leaders around the world in our level of consumption (and waste) of fossil fuels. The rapid expansion of our waste stream is indicative of our consumption level. Larger and less fuel-efficient vehicles and expanding use of air conditioning elevate our contribution to global climate change.

It is easy to dismiss Bermuda's role in warming the globe because of our small population. However, our per capita consumption level sets a standard that is being aimed at by occupants in the Pacific and Asian subcontinents. We cannot expect others to curb their consumption of fossil fuels, and thereby lessen their production of greenhouse gases, while we pursue progressively more profligate lifestyles.

We have a moral obligation to be responsible global citizens. We can and should produce less waste by buying only what is necessary, not the latest fad or fashion. We can and should consume less of fossil fuels by driving fewer miles in smaller vehicles and use less air conditioning. We can and should switch completely off any electronic devices not in use.

The islands we save from the ravages of climate change may be our own.[[In-content Ad]]

---