By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas and other vulnerable small island states need to become “global advocates” in the battle against climate change, a former Cabinet minister said yesterday.

Zhivargo Laing, former minister of state for finance, told a panel discussion at the RoyalFidelity Bahamas Economic Outlook conference that the private sector should take the lead by encouraging employees to adopt sustainable living practices.

“Governments listen to voters every five years, but they listen to the business community during the five years,” he said. “It’s not so much the business community coming together, but more in terms of businesses using the platform of their organisation to encourage their employees to act in a certain way or even train them or make them more sensitive.

“Because employees are going to pay attention to what their employers are saying, and if they give them the time to learn, and to train and develop skills, the employees will more than likely take advantage of that opportunity.”

Mr Laing continued: “Climate change is a real issue that countries like The Bahamas have to be global advocates for, ensuring that larger countries and ourselves are more responsible for mitigating he effects.

“We have to find ways to adapt to the consequences of climate change. We have to impose on our governments the need to do something about it because it is a structural issue that requires real and genuine action by governments.”

Responding to concerns that The Bahamas is too small to lead meaningful change, Mr Laing replied: “Small is one thing. You can be small, but your voice and your passion and your intelligence - along with your initiatives - can be big to help yourself out to begin with, and then to help the world.

“So it is not a question of looking at yourself in terms of size, but what you know you can do and leaving the outcomes to those who experience, observe, hear and see what you do.”

Also speaking on the panel was Ruenna Haynes, international climate law and governance specialist. Responding to a question from the audience on Guyana’s transition to becoming an oil economy, and whether or not it should “leave their oil in the ground” given the current climate change initiatives, she said: “I am in no position to tell any country to leave their oil in the ground.”