Ever wondered how water scarcity and climate change are interconnected, impacting lives and livelihoods in the Caribbean? 🤔 Well, these challenges pose imminent threats to the region’s ecosystems and communities, worsening vulnerabilities and disrupting daily life. 💧 Initiating a conversation on these issues is crucial for fostering awareness, exploring sustainable solutions, and promoting collective action for a resilient and sustainable Caribbean future. 🌱🌊
If you’re curious about the insights from experts navigating these complex problems, this conversation is just for you. In celebration of World Water Day, join us for a riveting discussion as we explore the complexities affecting the Caribbean.
📅 Date: Thursday, March 21st, 2024
🕙 Time: 10am (AST | Trinidad and Tobago time)
💰 Cost: Free
⏳ Duration: 60 minutes
📍 Where: Google Meet (details provided upon registration)
Get ready to learn with us as we bring together brilliant minds and passionate voices to explore the challenges and solutions. Two special guest speakers will be at this upcoming Community Hangout, Dr. Sharda Mahabir and Rianna Gonzales. These individuals are experts in the field of water scarcity and climate change, having made significant contributions to addressing these issues in their respective fields.
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
Dr. Sharda Mahabir, National Coordinator, GEF SGP Trinidad and Tobago at UNDP
📍 Trinidad and Tobago
Dr. Sharda Mahabir holds a PhD in Environmental Biology from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. As a part-time lecturer at the Department of Life Sciences, UWI, St. Augustine, she imparts her expertise in pollution monitoring and assessment to students, while also serving as the National Coordinator for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP), supporting NGOs. She has also played a key role in the first-ever ecological assessment of rivers across Trinidad and Tobago, revealing human activities as the primary source of contaminants. Notably, in 2015, she initiated the “Adopt A River” program, fostering collaboration among various stakeholders to enhance river conditions.
Rianna Gonzales, Water Resources Management Prfessional
📍 Trinidad and Tobago
With 15 years of impactful contributions to the water sector, Rianna is a dynamic professional weaving a narrative of success across government, private, civil society, and intergovernmental spheres. Rianna champions the convergence of science, water governance, community engagement and youth empowerment, in making a meaningful difference in addressing environmental challenges. In Trinidad, she led the revision of the National IWRM Policy 2022 and initiated the Community Flood Early Warning System Real-time Data and Notification Portal. On the global stage, Rianna empowered young water, climate activists and entrepreneurs to gain access to finance through the Youth for Water and Climate (YWC) Programme and has led the development of tools and programmes such as the Water Academy for Youth (WAY) to support the professional development of emerging water leaders.
Register today, bring your questions, and let’s embark on a journey of discovery together!
Save the date March 21st, 2024, because this is not just a conversation – it’s an opportunity to be part of the change.
See you there
ABOUT CLIMATE TRACKER
Climate Tracker (CT) is an international non-profit organisation, aiming to support, train and incentivise better climate journalism globally. We believe in the power of journalism but recognise that many young journalists don’t have the training, resources or support to identify and tell the climate stories they want to. We also recognise that this challenge is often greatest in the countries hardest hit by climate change. To address this, we:
- Provide training and fellowships for young journalists around the world to tell better climate stories locally
- Conduct action-oriented media research to better understand the biggest challenges, trends, and obstacles to powerful climate reporting around the world
- Fund young journalists to report on the world’s most pressing issues and cover the world’s biggest moments, UN negotiations and conferences
- Support global collaborations between young climate journalists, newsrooms and NGOs around the world
