Climate Change is burning out Coral Reefs, Eroding Coastlines & Damaging Terrain  

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, April 5, 2022 – It’s no longer a far off, innocuous threat.  Global warming is impacting the Turks and Caicos Islands and its effects are becoming increasingly apparent on the natural terrain of the islands.

 At the Climate Change Summit announcement Press Conference, Lormeka Williams, Director of the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, (DECR) explained the damaging impacts.

“Some of the visible evidence includes coral reef diseases and coral reef bleaching events. Coral reef bleaching events are longer now. This is due to temperature rises in our sea.” Williams shared.

On land, flooding is creating a problem.

 “We have more flood prone areas, areas that didn’t flood before, are now flooding. We have a loss of land if we look at some of the coastlines. The erosion is very significant compared to previous years,” she said.  

Also extremely concerning Williams explained is the lack of rain this season.

 “We are in a severe drought. As a scientist it disturbed me because the trees are so bare. This is supposed to be our springtime but they are very bare because we are not getting the rain we are used to.”

Williams wholeheartedly endorsed the Climate Change Summit set for April 22, which is Earth Day. 

 Her fervent view is ‘Small Island States have no more time to waste.’