Trinidad and Tobago — Emergency Preparedness & Climate Induced Mobility (May 2024)

Extreme weather, rising sea levels, and damaged ecosystems threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world1. Globally, in 2022, an estimated 31.8 million people were displaced due to storms, floods, wildfires, droughts, and extreme temperatures2. Climate related disasters are further expected to impact an estimated 1.2 billion persons by 20503. As such, climate change is viewed as an “increasingly potent driver of migration”4. Accordingly, climate change-induced mobility describes a wide range of human mobility that is influenced by environmental changes. The term covers migration, planned relocation, managed retreat, evacuation, and displacement.

This DTM activity focuses on Emergency Preparedness and Response (DTM EPR). It provides a timely opportunity to explore the unpredictable situation of migrants and the experiences they face due to climate-induced challenges and vulnerabilities within Trinidad and Tobago. In this regard, this DTM EPR will empower disaster/emergency management teams and other decision-makers with evidence-based insights that can guide strategic interventions to impacted populations. In this DTM EPR edition, a total of 179 migrants were surveyed in May 2024. The areas with the highest number of respondents were Chaguanas, Port-of Spain, and Diego Martin as shown in Map 1.