News stories by Desmond Brown, page 4

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Sep 03 (IPS) - Recent huge offshore oil discoveries are believed to have set Guyana– one of the poorest countries in South America–on a path to riches. But they have also highlighted the country's development challenges and the potential impact of an oil boom.

ST GEORGE’S, Aug 08 (IPS) - Grenada is still tallying the damage after heavy rainfall last week resulted in "wide and extensive" flooding that once again highlights the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to climate change.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Aug 07 (IPS) - The Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia is home to more than 2,000 native species — of which nearly 200 species occur nowhere else in the world. Though less than 616 square kilometres in area, the island is exceptionally rich in animals and plants.

ST GEORGE'S, Jul 23 (IPS) - In 2004, when the Category 4 hurricane Ivan hit the tiny island nation of Grenada and its 151 mph winds stalled overhead for 15 hours–it devastated the country. But not before pummelling Barbados and other islands, killing at least 15 people.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Jul 09 (IPS) - Wildlife conservationists consider it to be one of the most striking parrots of its kind. Saint Lucia's best-known species, the endangered Amazon parrot, is recognised by its bright green plumage, purple forehead and dusty red-tipped feathers. But a major conservation organisation is warning that climate change and a lack of care for the environment could have devastating consequences for Saint Lucia's healthy ecosystems and rich biodiversity, including the parrot.

BRIDGETOWN, Apr 19 (IPS) - At the start of 2017, the Caribbean Drought and Precipitation Monitoring Network (CDPN) warned eastern Caribbean countries that they were facing "abnormal climate conditions" and possibly another full-blown drought. 



ROSEAU, Dominica, Dec 04 (IPS) - McCarthy Marie has been living in the Fond Cani community, a few kilometres east of the Dominica capital Roseau, for 38 years. The 68-year-old economist moved to the area in 1979 following the decimation of the island by Hurricane David.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, Sep 20 (IPS) - As Hurricane Maria continues to barrel its way across the Caribbean, details are slowly emerging of the number of deaths and the extent of the devastation left in its wake in Dominica.

ROSEAU, Dominica, Sep 06 (IPS) - The tiny Caribbean island of Dominica has moved one step closer to its dream of constructing a geothermal plant, a project that is expected to reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels.

CASTRIES, St Lucia, Aug 28 (IPS) - Saint Lucia's Prime Minister Allen Chastanet warns that the clock is running out for small states such as those in the Caribbean as they struggle to develop infrastructure capable of withstanding changes in weather conditions - and that wealthier nations need to step up levels of aid.