ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, July 24th, 2012 --- Madam Speaker, today I wish to address this Honourable House on the matter of the Territory’s natural environment.
It is indeed a distinct privilege for me to serve as the Minister for Natural Resources in a country so rich in natural beauty and diversity and we are all truly blessed to be able to call the Virgin Islands our home. I am encouraged by the response to the recent initiative of our Ministry where many public and private sector organizations have pledged to carry out their day to day business in a more sustainable manner, the so called Green Pledge. This is an indication that the BVI community cares about this country, and the future that we are helping to shape for our children.
Madam Speaker, there are a few things that I wish to highlight in the House today that have been taking place within the Ministry, and in the country at large, with respect to the environmental management in the Territory.
Firstly, Madam Speaker, climate change is one of the areas of concern that are facing this Territory. Scientists have determined that although small islands such as those of the BVI are not major contributors to the cause of climate change, we will be the ones to experience the greatest impact.
Phenomena such as rising temperatures, sea level rise and stronger hurricanes will have impacts across all sectors. In fact, a study of the economic impact of climate change on the Territory under the regional Review of the Economics of Climate Change (RECC) Project indicates that the cost of climate change to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of small islands of the Caribbean is significantly higher than the global average. Within the Virgin Islands, conservative estimates, up to the year 2050, indicates that the cumulative impact to the coastal and marine sector alone will range from $671 million to $2.8 billion.
Madam Speaker, Cabinet recently approved the Virgin Islands Climate Change Policy which is intended to guide the Territory’s adaptation to the impacts of climate change, and reduce the effects of these expected changes. Many of the directives under this policy will become a part of the day to day business of the Territory and does not require any additional financing; however, there are some objectives that will require extra financing to implement.
Based on the realization that this may place extra financial burden on the Government this national Policy also directs that a special Climate Change Fund be set up and set aside, apart from Government Consolidated Fund, this is in order to finance the implementation of the Policy. The intention is that financing for the Climate Change Fund will be raised from external sources so as not to increase the local tax level of the country. Madam Speaker, work on the establishment of this Climate Change Fund has already begun and over the next year we intend to carry out intensive consultation to ensure that the Fund is properly set up and managed.
Madam Speaker, the second thing that I would like to mention is the Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI). I recently attended a planning meeting of senior officials in Jamaica from the 10th to 11th of July, 2012. This was the first of a series of three meetings to be held at various Caribbean locations to prepare for an upcoming summit of political and business leaders to be held right here in the BVI. This initiative is being spearheaded by the Rt. Honourable Prime Minister of Grenada Honorable Tillman Thomas and ably assisted by Sir Richard Branson. The meetings are scheduled to take place on Necker Island and Bitter End in North Sound Virgin Gorda in the second quarter of 2013.
This summit, Madam Speaker, which will be the first of its kind in the region, is being organized as the second phase of the Caribbean Challenge Initiative. This initiative was originally launched in 2008 after a meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Germany. Eight countries launched this Caribbean Challenge in an effort to encourage Political Leaders to protect and sustainably manage the coastal and marine environment across the entire Caribbean.
Countries that join the Caribbean Challenge Initiative have committed to conserve at least 20% of their near-shore marine and coastal environment by the year 2020, and have also committed to instituting mechanisms that will generate long-term funding for protection of the marine and coastal environment. The BVI has a long history of protected areas management, as our first protected areas were declared in the 1950s.
Madam Speaker, a plan for a system of marine protected areas has already been undertaken by the BVI National Parks Trust, Conservation and Fisheries Department and the Town and Country Planning Department. This national plan was created in an effort to ensure that sustainable coastal tourism and fisheries are carried out in the Territory, and that these areas are declared and protected under the National Parks and Fisheries Acts.
The Commitments under the Caribbean Challenge are therefore not foreign to us and in fact, we are well positioned at this time to take up this Challenge and follow the precedent of our elders who went before us, by setting aside more of our natural areas for protection. This Summit, Madam Speaker will not be a talk shop, but rather a coming together of political and business leaders who are serious about the legacy we intend to leave for future generations.
Madam Speaker, as I continue to state in this country “there is no tourism without the environment” Within this country, tourism has far reaching effects on our economy. Most of what attracts visitors to our islands is our marine and coastal environment and it is only logical that we protect the very thing that sustains us.
Within the scope of marine protection, Madam Speaker, the problem of marine pollution is one of ever increasing concern. This brings me to the last point Madam Speaker, I want to mention. There is evidence that the ocean have suffered at the hands of mankind for decades and here in the Territory it’s no different. We have done so much damage that our near shore waters are turning brown and green from micro organisms that feed on the waste water while our coral reefs and sea grass beds are dying. The water quality is also falling and there is loss of marine life caused by waste water pollution.
Madam Speaker, waste water is high in phosphorus and nitrogen which results in a depletion of oxygen in the water as the organism die and decompose. This creates the infamous ocean dead zones, where the water is so low in oxygen that it makes it difficult for marine life to survive, including our fish. It is for this reason, Madam Speaker that my Ministry will be collaborating with the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Governor’s Office to determine which part of the Marine Pollution Convention (MARPOL) is applicable to our specific situation here in the Territory.
If there isn’t any international convention that can be adopted and customized to our specific situation, I intend to introduce legislation that will ensure that all yachts are retrofitted with holding tanks and that the necessary pump out stations are available. We have been reliably informed, by industry officials, that the yachting industry in these islands is at its carrying capacity and therefore it behooves us to act speedily to address this issue.
Madam Speaker, the complex nature of the problems facing us cannot be handled by Government alone. Make no mistake, Madam Speaker, the Government will do its part, but as Minister with responsibility for the environment, I am calling on each and every citizen and resident of this Territory to make a commitment that they too will do their part. Even though we will not be able to totally eliminate these problems, we can in concert mitigate against their overall impact on our society, and in so doing ensure a better and brighter future for generations to come.
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