The Tribune

By JERVON SANDS

CLIMATE change has a degree of responsibility for many of the current challenges our nation is facing. We can no longer deny that extreme heat, more intense hurricanes, frequent flooding and other serious impacts have become a part of the reality for Bahamians within the 21st century. Yet, climate change – the cause of these issues – remains a niche topic in the minds of our citizens. If we want our islands to have a future, that must change.

Fortunately, the Climate Change Youth Ambassadors of the Bahamas along with other Bahamian professionals are working to bring not only climate change but also climate justice and climate action to the forefront of the minds of Bahamian youth and the wider populace. We aim to achieve this by continuing the conversations started at the BYCC.

Climate action is one of the directives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 13 urges member states to, “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”. This means that countries around the world have a duty to address the climate crisis. Also, Bahamians have our own roles to play.

It is important to rewrite our nation’s current narrative on climate change because although more Bahamians are recognising that climate change is impacting our islands, they remain uncertain about how we as Bahamians can take action.

The first step to eliminating that uncertainty is to promote a national understanding that climate action is not only the work of our nation’s leaders, climate scientists and researchers, or global organizations.

All Bahamians have the ability to get involved with climate action within our own workplaces, churches, schools, communities and homes. However, if we are not properly informed about how to engage with or create these opportunities then we will never feel empowered to act.

Climate justice is about recognising the disproportionate impacts of climate change on the people and places least responsible for the problem such as citizens of Small Island Developing States like the Bahamas.

It is widely known that small islanders contribute the least to the climate crisis, yet we experience the earliest and most severe impacts. These impacts have cascading affects on public health, small island economies, and cultural heritage. They are also responsible for the social unrest that develops within populations struggling to cope with the realities of climate change.

It is our hope that by continuing these conversations we can catalyze climate action throughout our nation, secure climate justice for all Bahamians and ensure a safe, prosperous future for the commonwealth of the Bahamas.

To accomplish this, we will explore the intersections between climate change and topics important to Bahamian life and culture such as health, food, education, finance, tourism, local industries, history, religion, art, and more. We will also continue to encourage all Bahamians to join the conversation.

Please stay tuned for upcoming articles on the topics mentioned above. You can also get updates on more of our work by following us @bccya.242, @cceaubahamas, & @sdgunit242 on Instagram.