The Tribune

Since writing last week, in the context of Britain’s special relationship with the US, about the UN Climate Change conference - known as COP 26 and to be hosted by the UK in Scotland in November - I have seen reports of another UK climate initiative that was announced on January 25. This is worth covering today because I believe The Bahamas could benefit from it. As everyone knows, an archipelagic nation with its low lying islands is particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change and the threat of rising sea levels from global warming.

In a press release, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London has called the initiative a ‘New Global Coalition launched to address impacts of Climate Change’. In partnership with various countries – Egypt, Bangladesh, Malawi, the Netherlands and Saint Lucia – and with the United Nations, the UK is setting up the Adaptation Action Coalition which will work to turn international political commitments, made through the UN’s call for action on adaptation and resilience, into on-the-ground support for vulnerable communities. Reportedly, representation from the Caribbean includes Grenada’s Prime Minister Keith Mitchell.

The impetus behind this is the urgent need for action on climate change which, of course, was comprehensively addressed in the Paris Agreement of 2015. In integrating climate risk into all decision-making and increasing the availability of adaptation financing, the idea is to bring together institutions, government leaders, mayors, the private sector, civil society and youth movements in order to drive forward the critical changes needed for societies to manage the effects of the climate emergency facing a world that is heating up.

The UK government is now calling on all countries to come forward with – in the words of the COP26 UK president-designate – “ambitious adaptation plans”, and the UK’s Environment Agency and local partners will react by sharing their expertise with the world. To make this work, the UK will act as a forum for developed and developing countries to share knowledge and best practice in relation to local, regional and global solutions in dealing with climate change and global warming.

The impacts of climate change are already evident in the fiercer - and more numerous than usual - forest fires in Australia and California, cyclones in Mozambique and more active Atlantic hurricane seasons. The scientific experts have been saying for some time that a warming climate can cause seawater to expand and ice sheets and glaciers to melt thus increasing the volume of the world’s oceans. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like The Bahamas are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels that can lead to permanent displacement of coastal communities, and this is regarded as one of the most significant of the many dangers of climate change and global warming.

According to the latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports, SIDS can expect faster rates of sea level rise and storm surges associated with hurricanes -- and it is now agreed that greenhouse gases are a major contributor to global warming and therefore rising sea levels. But what an irony it is that the developing countries least able to protect their citizens through coastal defences - or to organise mass resettlement away from coastal areas - are themselves responsible for only a small fraction of global emissions.

New frightening projections indicate that, without effective action to cut greenhouse gases, by the end of the century cities like Miami, New Orleans, Djakarta in Indonesia and Lagos in Nigeria could be under water. But, even by 2050, countries like The Bahamas are likely to be seriously affected, with most of Grand Bahama, parts of New Providence, Abaco and Spanish Wells, Andros, Crooked Island and Cat Island under flood conditions.

Given the devastation wrought by Hurricane Dorian in 2019, none of this will come as a surprise, and it seems there is a general realisation of the seriousness of this whole issue for the nation. Of course, after the terrible effects of Dorian the government has been actively addressing the problems of climate change, with renewed emphasis on issues like renewable energy, as well as having already ratified the Paris Accord in 2016, and the Prime Minister spoke forcefully about the issue not long ago at a UN meeting in New York.

Yet, to many, what now surely matters for this country is not so much its level of carbon emissions which are minimal but, rather, protection against rising sea levels and the need for measures to provide on-the-ground support for vulnerable communities in coastal areas, early warning systems for storms and investing in flood drainage and defence systems like sea walls.

It is apparent some people see climate change as a long-term issue and therefore non-urgent, but it has become clear fresh action is required now. So, the new Adaptation Action Coalition provides a promising opportunity for The Bahamas to seek support and funding for local initiatives to protect this country against such rising sea levels; not least because, at a practical level the UK has agreed to act as a forum and focus for co-operation.

Even though the FNM government is inevitably preoccupied with rolling out a COVID-19 vaccination programme – described by Dr Minnis as “one of the greatest logistical challenges that the country has ever undertaken” - many will surely hope that it will simultaneously be able to find the capacity to deal proactively with the major threat of climate change and global warming.

Hopefully a ‘Canterbury nail’ to the plague of ‘wokeness’

A few months ago, I wrote a column about “wokeness” in Britain – for example, attacks on free speech, the boycotting of speakers because some students find their views unpalatable and attempts by the Left to rewrite history and attack the nation’s heritage. The latter included action by such bodies as the National Trust whose role, ironically, is to be its guardian.

I concluded that it was illogical to take historical figures out of their context and to expect them to have modern views on controversial issues. The editor of The Tribune summed up perfectly what I was trying to say by providing an apt title for my article: ‘We can’t rewrite history just because the way we look at the world has changed’ – as the saying goes, today’s heresy is yesterday’s orthodoxy.

Reflecting on this and reading comments from others, I am even more certain that, since the past cannot be erased, it makes no sense, for example, to tear down and deface statues of slave traders or other historical figures with chequered pasts. Those who do so are simply guilty of vandalism which is against the law – and, incidentally, they may be ignorant of the fact Britain was at the forefront of abolishing slavery well before the Civil War in America that ended it there. So, I continue to think it is wrong to apply contemporary moral standards to people who lived a long time ago when attitudes, standards and norms of behaviour were different – sometimes better and sometimes worse, perhaps, but different.

This issue has come to the fore again with publicity about a recent extraordinary decision by Leicester University in Britain to drop Chaucer, famed author of The Canterbury Tales and known as the father of English literature, from its curriculum.

Reportedly, the university wants to “decolonise” (whatever that means in this context) its English Literature study programme by focusing on race, ethnicity, sexuality and diversity. But, in any discussion of wokeness, what is music to the ears of those who object to the refusal of the Left to listen to opposing views - and their efforts to close down genuine debate - is the very recent emergence of a group of students from Leeds who have started a “Free Speech Champions” project. They claim to have formed this because of widespread fears that university debate is being stifled by the growing woke culture, and they want to extend the project nationwide.

Undoubtedly, revision of historical interpretation, and the challenging of orthodoxy in order to correct genuine misconceptions, can be justified by the discovery of new facts and evidence. But the views of modern academics can be coloured by their own intolerance, prejudices and political beliefs, and all too often the Left seeks to rewrite history for ideological purposes by misrepresenting it to achieve political ends. As George Orwell is famously quoted as saying “the most effective way to destroy people is to deny or obliterate their own understanding of their history”.

To the extent that history is a series of facts that do not change, once written it ought to stand. Its legacy provides continuity and it forges and shapes national identity in a changing world as we draw on notions from the past. In order to understand modern events and conditions, one has to have a solid grasp of history. Moreover, questioning or attempting to reappraise the past can take on a sinister dimension when it involves distortion of historical record; like, for example, denial of the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide or of Japanese war crimes during the Second World War. The conclusion must be history should be taught and learned as it is - and respected so that an understanding of it can help to improve life both in the present and for future generations.

When needs be, Britain remembers its duty

A recent report of the decision by the Governor of the British Virgin Islands, one of the nation’s Overseas Territories, to call a Commission of Inquiry there makes interesting reading. It spurs me to study the background, not least because of a similar development nearer to home in the Turks and Caicos Islands where, in 2008, a Commission of Inquiry looked into allegations of corruption and what was termed ‘serious dishonesty’.

In TCI, following the Commission’s finding that there was systemic corruption and that the Constitution should be suspended while legislative and administrative reforms were developed, Britain imposed direct rule on the island group and took day-to-day control, saying this was essential to restore good governance and sound financial management. Later, in 2012, a new Constitution was introduced followed by elections.

Now, as is standard practice if the circumstances demand it, the Governor of BVI, as the representative of The Queen, has said the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry is in response to serious and widespread concerns put to him from across the BVI community, including the public service, business, community leaders and the media.

Such concerns have been about issues like poor governance and alleged corruption including political interference and intimidation in some statutory bodies and even in the criminal justice system, misuse of official funds in relation to spending on government contracts and worries about organised crime. Local BVI institutions have brought specific cases to light but do not have the capacity to cope with the level and seriousness of the issues. Hence the need for a Commission of Inquiry, led by a senior UK judge, to look impartially into matters of public concern.

I have found it interesting to probe a little into the background of all this because it is a reminder that the UK has responsibility to the Overseas Territories for their security and good governance together with a duty to help to protect their values of honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability. So it seems to me admirable that, if required, Governors are prepared - with the backing of UK Ministers - to deal in this decisive manner with serious concerns expressed to them by a range of people.

It shows Britain is willing to tackle corruption and poor governance head-on in the territories for which it bears certain responsibilities – and this surely sends an important message to all concerned.