B.V.I. Monday, May 18 – Throughout the month of May and into Environment Month in June, the Public Information and Education (PIE) sub-committee of the National Disaster Management Council will focus on climate change and its impact on the Territory.

As the most recent subject added to his portfolio, Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Hon. Omar W. Hodge fully supports this initiative and invites the public to be part of this learning process.

“It is important that residents come to grips with and understand the significance of climate change and how it impacts our Territory.  Climate change is exactly what it sounds like - a change in climate, which means a change in the long-term average temperatures, rain, wind patterns and humidity for different regions of the earth,” the Natural Resources Minister noted.

The Minister further explained that the major impacts of climate change to be felt in our region include sea level rise, decreased overall rainfall, increased frequency of heavy rain events and a shift to stronger hurricanes.

“These changes will have ramifications for our tourism sector, critical infrastructure, human settlements, human health, water resources, food security, energy security, beach and shoreline stability, coastal and marine ecosystems, forestry and biodiversity, and financial services,” Hon. Hodge said.

“While climate change obviously presents challenges, there are also benefits to be derived as it presents us with great opportunities for better planning, improved environmental protection, and greener living,” the Minister added.

Throughout the public awareness campaign the ministry and the Conservation and Fisheries Department will provide more information on these issues through several forums including radio and television programmes, newspaper articles, educational videos, and the release of the Virgin Islands Climate Change Issues Paper.

There will also be opportunities for the public to participate in a climate change logo competition and a Climate Change Knowledge, Attitude and Perception (KAP) Survey.

Environmental Officer with responsibility for Climate Change in the Conservation and Fisheries Department, Ms. Angela Burnett Penn, told the Department of Information and Public Relations that, “the most important goal is to make people realize that climate change is very relevant to life here and now.”

Ms. Penn further stated that, “stories in the mass media often focus on melting ice caps and starving polar bears so it is easy to form the impression that climate change only matters for countries very far away and not the sunny Caribbean. This impression is far from the reality.  It is actually small islands like the Virgin Islands that stand to be most impacted by and are most vulnerable to climate change.”

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour and its Conservation and Fisheries Department, along with the National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) and other relevant agencies are committed to educating the public about climate change and other environmental hazards on an ongoing basis.