THE developed world must partner with The Bahamas and other small island developing states to enhance their resilience to and address the negative impacts of climate change on these island-nations, if “we truly believe” that the polluter must pay, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Urban Development Philip “Brave” Davis said.
Mr Davis, speaking at the Samoan conference on Monday, said the issue of climate change is not just simply about changing a way of life in the Bahamas, it is primarily about saving the lives of the Bahamian people. Delivering the Bahamas’ statement at the United Nations’ Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) during the Second Plenary Meeting held in Apia, Samoa, Mr Davis told delegates that the Bahamas is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change and its impact – ranking amongst the top five of the almost 200 global countries that are member states of the United Nations.
He said, for the Bahamas, climate change is about saving lives.
“The Bahamas stands today to be heard, to bring attention to our plight, to bring about action now to sustain our business and to secure a brighter future (for our country and our people),” Mr. Davis said. “Climate change is not simply about changing our way of life, it is primarily about saving lives.”
He said a World Bank report indicates that the Bahamas “is one of the island states most vulnerable to sea level rise as approximately 80 per cent of the country’s land mass is within 1.5 metres of sea level. Hurricanes,” Mr Davis continued, “verily remind us of this fact.”
Mr Davis said the Bahamas is “deliberately working” to mitigate risk factors that may threaten the country’s stability through better land use planning and the further strengthening of Geographic Information Systems by establishing the Bahamas National Geographic Information Systems Centre as a department.
“This enables us to enhance our use of geo-spatial data in understanding and assessing the mitigation actions required to address the adverse risks of climate change,” Mr Davis said.
The deputy prime minister said while the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has “operated well over the years, again, our archipelagic nature makes it difficult and costly to assess damage from natural disasters across the country and to provide timely assistance to citizens in lesser populated, out-flung islands.”
“Funding for the development or refurbishment of essential infrastructure to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change is a necessity and a challenge,” Mr Davis said. “If we truly believe that the polluter pays, the developed world must partner with The Bahamas to enhance our resilience.”
Mr Davis said the Bahamas notes with keen interest, the operationalisation of the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) for Loss and Damage associated with climate change impacts.
“We welcome the commitment to address and strengthen dialogue, coordination, coherence and synergies amongst relevant stakeholders. Solidarity is the watchword here. Together, we must enhance action to secure support – including financial, technological and capacity-building – to address loss and damage to our territories and ways of life,” Mr. Davis added.
Mr Davis said for 20 years, the Bahamas has been amongst the leading voices with regards to climate change and its negative impacts on small island developing states.
“We have been a part of AOSIS for more than 20 years of its existence. For the 20 years, we have shared visions, ideals and challenges. For 20 years, we have set forth our needs (and) for 20 years, we have been denied funding because of our per capita income,” Mr Davis added.
The deputy prime minister said the United Nations system could stand to enhance its support to SIDS like the Bahamas by strengthening its institutions where necessary and providing more focused and additional services.
He echoed the call for the establishment of a robust global follow-up system that would strengthen accountability at all levels and for effective monitoring and analysis of the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway.
The draft outcome known as the “Samoa Pathway” (Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action) is a 124-paragraph preamble that acknowledges commitments and challenges of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across the world.
Comments
Millerp 10 years, 2 months ago
The Bahamas ranks high on the list of countries likely tobe affected by cliimate change in the next 40-100's of years: some of the possible impacts incude shorter but more intense rainy seasons possibly earlier in the year, longer dry periods particularly in the central and south islands, more more flooding, increasing salinization of coastline areas from more frequent high tides and storm surges, and creeping loss of coastal wetlands to sea level rise - one can imagine that this also means less agricultural production, adaptation of current industries critical to the economy, different housing, and increased imports of basics (food, etc.) to support the future island populations. How infrastructure planners see this is critical to sensible survival for those who will stay: planning for food supply and especially water and housing, and community and infrastructure designs and upgrades that can survive significant storms and and flooding impacts, and increased disaster and emergency aid capacity, seem critical. One critical point, expecially for Nassau and parts of freeport: infrastructure design for this kind of "projected" future has to consider how to both store/recharge fresh water, while removing and controlling flooding; advantages: more fresh water available at lower cost, and less transportation and power supply problems.
Sickened 10 years, 2 months ago
If we need to depend on Brave to make a plan for us then we are finished. And why are we crying for developed nations to 'save us'. We need to save ourselves. That is what we should be teaching our people... independence. Let's get rid of this slave mentality. Feed me master and I work real hard for you.
We have 40 years to plan for this, we should be able to help ourselves. If master wants to help out then great, but let's not depend on him.
Honestly, if the waters rise as much as they say I don't think there is much we can do except build a huge retaining wall around New Providence (the rest of the islands will just have to disappear), and this is not practical or feasible. If we don't put up a complete retaining wall then New Providence will shrink by about a third and we will all have to live in high rises because of the lack of land. We will have to move the airport and we will have to elevate ALL of our roads. Not ideal living conditions.
Well_mudda_take_sic 10 years, 2 months ago
This short stumpy fella with his dirty grubby fat fingers travels first class half way round the world to stay in a five-star hotel at great expense to Bahamian taxpayers (probably with an entourage in tow including one or more of his family members) for the purpose of calling on developed nations to tackle climate change. What a joke! Blaming the developed nations for the plight of the Bahamas when it comes to climate change in an effort to seek financial subsidies or reparations of any kind from them is almost as silly as the Bahamas signing on to efforts to seek reparations for the slave trade that brought the ancestry of many Bahamians from their extremely harsh life in Western African to the tropical paradise of the Caribbean and West Indies that they enjoy so much to day, free of genocide, ebola, malaria, famine, etc. etc.
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