SINT MAARTEN/CURACAO - From 21 to 23 October, the research project Island(er)s at the Helm presented four years of research results on climate change to a diverse audience of researchers, policymakers, students and others.
Unlike other research, this project focused on how people living on the islands are adapting to climate change and how these adaptations can be improved in a way that makes sense in a local context.
Dr. Francio Guadeloupe (KITLV) organized the project with the support of the Intercontinental University of the Caribbean, the University of Sint Maarten, TU Delft, Utrecht University and the University of Amsterdam.
On the first day, Aruban project researchers Gregory Richardson and Charissa Granger presented their findings from a cultural perspective. Richardson discussed how harvest festivals such as Seu, Simadan, and Dia di San Juan celebrate a local historical connection to the land and food production, despite the scarcity of food production on the islands.
Granger discussed the importance of music and dance in keeping people connected, especially during times of economic, political, and environmental tensions. She also argued that these moments of community spirit are important for building resilience against the systematic ways in which islanders are negatively impacted by real estate companies, international hotel chains, and research that focuses on economics rather than people.
Keynote speaker Kathryn Yusoff, from London, invited the audience to reflect on how much of human life is organized in "inhumane" ways – not to sustain life, but to exploit it. She stated that this is also the case in the Caribbean.
On the second day, researchers Kees Nooren and Aga Kus presented their findings from a climatological and architectural perspective. Nooren conducted laboratory experiments on sediment layers from Bonaire to reconstruct a historical landscape and answer questions about what people have grown and eaten since precolonial times. Kus discussed how the local population deals with housing design. Keynote speaker Nelson Mota discussed the benefits of an ethnographic approach to architecture to better integrate social needs into building projects. In the afternoon, the participants visited Rooi Catootje to view and discuss the restoration of the building and its effects on water management and flooding.
On the third and final day, project researchers Lysanne Charles, Yvette Ruzibiza and Anna Younes presented their findings. Charles discussed her research findings from Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius, where she led creative reflection sessions on how to design public policies, both with individuals who are typically excluded from such processes and with those who lead these processes.
Ruzibiza investigated how Seventh-day Adventists in St. Eustatius deal with concerns about climate change, emphasizing the importance of understanding belief systems for adaptation processes. Younes analyzed Saba through the lens of settler colonialism and reflected on different perspectives to understand the relationships of islanders among themselves and with the land.
The first keynote speaker, Melanie Newton, reflected on the intersections between colonial history, politics and justice as it relates to the protection and ownership of Balliceaux Island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The second keynote speaker, Keston Perry, discussed the compromises being made regarding the sovereignty of the Caribbean in various reparations negotiations. He argues that these compromises exacerbate the damage to the ecology of the Caribbean.
The workshop programme of the conference focused on climate adaptation from a practical and educational perspective. Pedzi Flores-Girigori, civil servant and researcher from Curaçao, discussed the direct involvement of communities in public policies by presenting her project on early warning systems for fisheries in Boca Sami.
Mikayla Vieira Ribeiro, writer and researcher from Curaçao, collects Papiamentu/o literature and poetry about the ecology of the island and makes oral recordings to create an archive of these works for younger generations.
Simon Richter, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, showed how animated YouTube videos can help tell climate stories to a wide audience, including policymakers. Working with a team of artists and activists on Bonaire, Richter is urging the Dutch government to address climate issues. Educators Jantine de Groot and Rose Barros discussed how they convinced the Aruban government to invest in food forest projects that involve primary schools and socially vulnerable groups in restoring people's relationship with the land.
Curaçao anthropologist Dimitri Cloose discussed the ineffectiveness of ecological policies that do not take into account the way in which people already deal with their ecology locally.
Jude Finies, director of the museum on Bonaire, presented how the Terramar Museum on Bonaire has integrated ecological issues into their exhibitions. She argues that museums and researchers should work together to bring the public into contact with important research.
The audience included researchers, policymakers, civil servants, people working in the culture and museum sector, artists, activists and members of civil society. Many also followed the event online via the livestream.
The streams of the plenary programs can be viewed here: //www.youtube.com/@islandersathelm/streams">www.youtube.com/@islandersathelm/streams. Over the next two years, the project results will be translated for various Caribbean target groups, including in the form of educational materials and policy advice. A publicly accessible publication will also be made available in due course.
