Holding back a hurricanes deluge
To Bioduniginla.bbc News, 93 more... on 2024-06-27 02:46
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25 June, 2024
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Amy Li Baksh
San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago
An intense hurricane season is brewing in the Caribbean, leaving many islanders vulnerable to the risk of landslides and flooding. But locals are finding new ways to prepare. In this week's edition, we meet some of the Trinidadian communities turning to vetiver, a fast-growing and fragrant grass, as a green solution to the threat posed by heavy rain. Plus, we visit the Portuguese fishers protecting octopuses, explore the health impacts of gas leaks and ask which does more damage: tornadoes or hail?
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CLIMATE CONVERSATION?
Can grass hold homes together?
The root systems of vetiver grass can help protect hilly land. Credit: Damar Ali
Until this February, my knowledge of the town of Belmont, which lies on the outskirts of Trinidad's capital city, Port of Spain, was limited to the flatter streets among its winding, claustrophobic layout. Yet as I rode along recently with David Quesnel, technical officer at VetiverTT, a local civil engineering company, he expertly navigated up the slopes that led deeper into the landslide-susceptible town.
Climate change is dramatically?increasing the risk of powerful hurricanes?in the Caribbean, and although Trinidad and Tobago lie on the edge of the hurricane belt, the islands are vulnerable to increased flooding and hillside erosion. Flash flooding and above-normal rainfall are?projected?for this year. (Read more on why a super-charged hurricane season is brewing)
To help protect the region from increasingly heavy rainy seasons, Quesnel's organization specializes in planting vetiver, a non-invasive grass species native to India. Its roots help keep soil bound together in the face of floods. And in Belmont, his company has been working alongside a local non-profit youth organization called IAMovement to help communities grow vetiver along vulnerable hillsides.
Belmont, Trinidad, is vulnerable to landslides. Credit: Damar Ali
On the edge
The home of artist Atiba Kefentse lies on just such a slope. Through a small, unassuming gate, Kefentse led us down into a slanting backyard shaded by calabash trees, on which hang pieces of his painted carvings. The smell of homemade roasted fish wafted through a window, baked for us in the typical fashion of Trini hospitality.
When the bamboo-covered land behind Kefentse's home began to slip just over 10 years ago, coming down over the now-abandoned house below, he contacted the government for assistance. But he found the bureaucratic process painfully slow and decided to take matters into his own hands.
His first endeavor involved recycling old tires to build a homemade retaining wall that holds firm a decade later. Now, below the wall, he and his family have also planted rows of neatly trimmed, year-old vetiver plants that are helping to support the soil at the edges of his property and prevent land slippage.?(Read about how Hong Kong protects people from landslides)
Growing stronger
In addition to the value of the plants in the ground, vetiver can also be harvested to create a range of products like woven mats and fragrant root?bundles – with many hands making light work of the?harvesting?process.?
Kefentse?remembers his mother weaving baskets and other items out of sugar cane when he was growing up. He has tried the same with dried vetiver but says?it can be cumbersome for one pair of hands: "You have to have your whole family doing it."
In this way, communal action to utilize vetiver is strengthening the land it's grown on and may also help grow marketable skills among the people that live there.
Read my full report on the Caribbean communities?using plants to shore-up crumbling hillsides.
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NUMBER OF THE WEEK
947,121
The number of ehomaki – speciality sushi rolls – estimated to have been?thrown out by Japan's convenience stores?after the Setsubun holiday in February.
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TAKE A MOMENT
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CLIMATE QUIZ
Each year in the US, extreme winds – including tornadoes and derechos – account for up to a third of insured losses from severe thunderstorms. What proportion is due to hail?
A.?10-20%?
B.?40-60%
C.?60-80%?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
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THE BIG PICTURE
The octopuses protected by fishermen
Octopuses are known for their intelligence. Credit: Getty Images
The bay of Arma??o de Pêra on Portugal's southern coast, the country's largest rocky reef, is a haven for octopuses. These enigmatic creatures are?increasingly feted for their rich inner life, but there is also growing demand for their meat from the global seafood industry. Local fishermen are taking steps to protect the animals' futures, along with their own, by creating the nation's first Marine Protected Area of Community Interest.?Read Frankie Adkins' story here.
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BEFORE YOU GO
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AND FINALLY...
Why do people persecute feral pigeons? It's an aversion that causes the feathered urbanites all kinds of suffering, from horrific injuries to starvation. But in London an organisation is attempting to rehabilitate pigeons in need. Zaria Gorvett met up with some of those devoted to?helping this human-made subspecies?– and explores how our ancient relationship went so wrong.
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Medal Moments
Your daily newsletter guide to the Paris Olympics, from global highlights to heroic stories, throughout the Games.?
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MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS
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The answer to this week's quiz was: C.?Hail accounts for up to 80% of the US's insured losses from severe thunderstorms?in any given year, according to the US catastrophe modelling industry. That's over twice the damage caused by extreme winds. Yet this doesn't mean tornadoes should be treated with complacence: they are still more likely to cost you your life, experts warn?in this story by India Bourke.
Thank you for reading this edition of Future Earth, which was edited by India Bourke, Isabelle Gerretsen and Lucy Sherriff. Got feedback? You can reach us by?emailing here. We’ll be back in your inbox next Tuesday. In the meantime, you can follow?the best of BBC climate and sustainability coverage here. If you enjoyed this, please consider sharing it with your friends and family. If this newsletter was forwarded to you,?sign up now. To ensure it reaches your inbox, just add?[email protected]?as a contact and, if you use Gmail, move the email into your Primary tab.
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