In February, the court ruled that the Dutch state did not adequately protect Bonaire residents from climate change. The ruling was partly based on research by the IVM. In a new study, the IVM also examined the climate effects on Curaçao and the needs and rights of the community. The researchers did this together with the University of Curaçao, research agency Re-QUEST and the CAS foundation.
Islanders want green and fair measures
The study consists of a large survey of 555 residents. The results show that a large majority of islanders (76%) support climate adaptation, but at the same time want a different approach. Residents prefer practical, natural solutions: more trees and greenery (41%), restoration of natural drainage (37%) and affordable loans for vulnerable families (45%). Hard infrastructure such as seawalls gets much less support (11%). Remarkably, trust in the government is limited: only 14% have full confidence that the government is acting in the best interests of Curaçao.
Science links models to human rights
"The ruling on Bonaire proves that independent science can create a legal obligation to protect vulnerable islands," says environmental economist Pieter van Beukering (VU), involved in both the Bonaire and Curaçao studies. "This Curaçao study continues the line of research on Bonaire. It combines hard data on climate effects - such as extreme heat, from which 55% of the population already suffers greatly - with the concrete needs and rights of the community. Science is not in an ivory tower, but at the heart of social change."
Policymakers
The results form the direct input for Curaçao's National Adaptation Strategy (NAS-Ç) and provide a societal rationale for choices in health, water safety, nature conservation and social protection. This national strategy is coordinated from the International Panel on Deltas and Coastal Areas (IPDC) by Pédzi Girigori of the Ministry of Health, Environment and Nature (GMN) and Timo Kelder of CAS Foundation. "It is very nice how the needs of residents, science and policy come together in this project to make Curaçao more resilient to climate extremes," Kelder said.
Van Beukering: "Just as the IVM survey set a legal precedent for Bonaire, this survey gives Curaçao policymakers a clear mandate. It shows that effective climate protection listens to the science as well as to the people it affects. That is the essence of climate justice."
The report
The full research report "Public preferences towards climate change adaptation in Curaçao: a national survey" was conducted as part of IPDC's Supporting Curaçao in developing a National Adaptation Strategy project and is publicly available.
Photo: Michel Diaz Rodriguez via Unsplash
