Editing Geography of the Bahamas (section)

=== Climate change ===
{{See also|Climate change in the Caribbean}}[[Climate change]] is causing temperature increases in the Bahamas. The average temperature has increased by approximately 0.5&nbsp;°C since 1960. The rate of the temperature increase varies seasonally, with average daily maximum temperatures for July recently increasing at a rate of 2.6&nbsp;°C per 100 years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal |title=Bahamas |url=https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/bahamas/climate-data-historical |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org |language=en}}</ref> Global temperature rise of 2&nbsp;°C above preindustrial levels can increase the likelihood of extreme [[Tropical cyclone|hurricane]] rainfall by four to five times in the Bahamas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berardelli |first=Jeff |date=2020-08-29 |title=Climate change may make extreme hurricane rainfall 5 times more likely, study says - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-may-make-extreme-hurricane-rainfall-five-times-more-likely-study-says/ |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=L Vosper |first=E |last2=M Mitchell |first2=D |last3=Emanuel |first3=K |date=2020-10-01 |title=Extreme hurricane rainfall affecting the Caribbean mitigated by the paris agreement goals |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9794 |journal=Environmental Research Letters |volume=15 |issue=10 |pages=104053 |doi=10.1088/1748-9326/ab9794 |issn=1748-9326|hdl=1721.1/133619.2 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change|IPCC]] expects the 20-year average global temperature to exceed +1.5&nbsp;°C in the early 2030s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 August 2021 |title=Climate Change 2021 - The Physical Science Basis |url=https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Full_Report.pdf#page=955 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405072633/https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Full_Report.pdf#page=955 |archive-date=5 April 2024 |website=Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |id=IPCC AR6 WGI}}</ref>

The Bahamas is expected to be highly affected by [[sea level rise]] because at least 80% of the total land is below 10 meters elevation.<ref name="Lewsey2004">{{cite journal |author1=Clement Lewsey |author2=Gonzalo Cid |author3=Edward Kruse |date=2004-09-01 |title=Assessing climate change impacts on coastal infrastructure in the Eastern Caribbean |journal=Marine Policy |volume=28 |issue=5 |pages=393–409 |doi=10.1016/j.marpol.2003.10.016}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{cite journal |author1=Borja G. Reguero |author2=Iñigo J. Losada |author3=Pedro Díaz-Simal |author4=Fernando J. Méndez |author5=Michael W. Beck |year=2015 |title=Effects of Climate Change on Exposure to Coastal Flooding in Latin America and the Caribbean |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=10 |issue=7 |page=e0133409 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1033409R |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0133409 |pmc=4503776 |pmid=26177285 |doi-access=free}}</ref> As a [[Small Island Developing States|small island developing state]], the Bahamas is vulnerable to escalating disease outbreaks, and climate change could affect the seasonality of outbreaks and transmission of disease.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Health and climate change: country profile 2021: the Bahamas |url=https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-HEP-ECH-CCH-21.01.03 |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}</ref>

Although the country's [[greenhouse gas emissions]] are comparatively small (2.94 million tonnes of green house gases emitted in 2023),<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Jones |first=Matthew W. |last2=Peters |first2=Glen P. |last3=Gasser |first3=Thomas |last4=Andrew |first4=Robbie M. |last5=Schwingshackl |first5=Clemens |last6=Gütschow |first6=Johannes |last7=Houghton |first7=Richard A. |last8=Friedlingstein |first8=Pierre |last9=Pongratz |first9=Julia |last10=Le Quéré |first10=Corinne |date=2023-03-29 |title=National contributions to climate change due to historical emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide since 1850 |url=https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02041-1 |journal=Scientific Data |volume=10 |issue=1 |doi=10.1038/s41597-023-02041-1 |issn=2052-4463|pmc=10060593 }}</ref> the Bahamas is reliant on imported [[fossil fuel]]s for energy generation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=World Data |title=Energy consumption in the Bahamas |url=https://www.worlddata.info/america/bahamas/energy-consumption.php |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=Worlddata.info |language=en}}</ref> The government plans to increase [[solar energy]] capacity to 30% of the country's total energy production by 2033.<ref>{{Cite web |last=The Bahamas Ministry of Economic Affairs |title=The Bahamas set to aggressively expand its use of solar energy by 2033 |url=https://moea.gov.bs/the-bahamas-set-to-aggressively-expand-its-use-of-solar-energy-by-2033/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2024-12-09 |language=en-US}}</ref> The Bahamas has pledged to reduce its emissions by 30% by 2030, if international support is received.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bahamas  Climate Change Data {{!}} Emissions and Policies |url=https://www.climatewatchdata.org/countries/BHS?end_year=2021&start_year=1990 |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=www.climatewatchdata.org}}</ref>