The Tribune

A SURVEY reportedly found that nearly 90 per cent of local respondents support legislation preventing fossil fuel exploration in the country, and 74 per cent want to transition to renewable energy.

Our Islands, Our Future (OIOF), a group that advocates for permanently banning oil exploration, commissioned the survey, which Intel Cay conducted.

Questionnaires were reportedly administered online and through outreach by Intel Cay agents. After over a month, 402 questionnaires were completed, with a gender breakdown of 40.2 per cent men and 59.8 per cent women. Forty-two per cent of respondents were in New Providence, 37.4 per cent were in Grand Bahama, and 20.5 per cent were in the Family Islands.

Eighty-six per cent of respondents said they either strongly or somewhat support legislation banning offshore drilling to protect the country’s marine environment and coastal ecosystems. Thirteen per cent were either undecided or not in favour of the ban.

“This survey is the strongest evidence to date that the Bahamian public opposes any further attempts to gamble with our future through the reckless, dangerous practice of fossil fuel exploration,” said Rashema Ingraham, executive director of Waterkeepers Bahamas, a founding member of the OIOF coalition.

“Clearly, Bahamians at large recognize that there is no such thing as ‘safe’ oil drilling, and that we simply have too much to lose in terms of our tourism and fisheries industries, the lifeblood of so many communities and households. We encourage the Davis Administration to take legislative action in accordance with public opinion and its own stated agenda of creating a sustainable future for The Bahamas.”

Casuarina McKinney-Lambert, executive director of BREEF and an OIOF founding member, said: “It is extremely positive that so many Bahamians, across the length and breadth of the country, understand the urgent need for a ban on all future oil exploration.

“It is also very encouraging to see that so many want to see the country transition to renewable energy. For island nations like The Bahamas, which are hardest hit by climate change impacts like stronger storms, coral loss, and sea-level rise, it is crucial that we lead by example on the global stage, demonstrating that a sustainable future free of fossil fuels is indeed possible.”