Climate policy calls for significant action and investment
(CNS): A draft of the long-awaited Climate Change Policy outlining the interventions needed over the next 17 years to ensure a climate-resilient Cayman Islands has finally been published and is now open for public consultation. The comprehensive document outlines a significant amount of work and investment and shows that extensive adaptations are needed in order for the Cayman Islands to survive a warmer future.
Cayman is already experiencing the impacts of climate change, officials from the Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency said Tuesday, as they announced the start of the consultation process, which will last until the end of June.
Issues already having a negative impact and predicted to get worse include much more variable and unpredictable rainfall patterns, higher temperatures, more sargassum, beach erosion and more frequent exceptionally high tides.
The aims of the policy are to reduce Cayman’s vulnerability and enhance its resiliency to climate change, as well as to promote sustainable, low or zero carbon economic activity, and establish a governance framework for climate change action that is future-focused, fair to all, accountable, and transparent, all of which will prove costly and challenging.
Premier Wayne Panton, the minister responsible for climate resiliency, encouraged the public to review the draft policy and provide their feedback.
“In achieving this milestone, the Cayman Islands has now come closer than ever before to having a national climate change policy in place,” Panton said with the release of the document, which came just before his trip to the UK for the coronation and the JMC meeting with the UK and overseas territory leaders.
He said the policy aims to build resiliency into all sectors of society and the economy while safeguarding important ecosystem services. “Public participation is an essential element of inclusive, equitable policy development, and I encourage everyone in our community to review the draft policy, attend the planned public meetings and provide your feedback,” Panton said.
The strategies in the policy are targeted at the most significant risks to the community, economic sectors and natural environment. Of the 50 risks evaluated in the climate risk assessment, the policy focuses on 18 ‘severe’ risks, including nine threats to society, infrastructure and buildings and nine to biodiversity and natural habitats, as well as an additional 16 ‘moderate’ risks.
The policy notes the urgency to reduce further contributions to climate change and respond to the inevitable impacts.
“Our community is already experiencing the impacts of climate change, whether it is the variability in rainfall and higher temperatures affecting our farmers or the king tides that are increasingly inundating communities here in Grand Cayman, and we have local data that confirms the anecdotal evidence,” he said.
“Our tidal gauge data reveals a rising trend, our rainfall data confirms fewer but more significant rain events, and our temperature data shows that local temperatures have increased by around 2.2°C over the past 40 years,” the premier warned.
He said these were “real and pressing threats” to the way of life here. “If we want to ensure our islands can continue to be a peaceful, prosperous home for future generations of Caymanians, we have to take urgent action to enhance climate resiliency and reduce vulnerabilities across all areas of our society, economy and environment.”
In the document, the technical experts warn that climate change presents serious challenges to Cayman. Thoughtful planning and the implementation of measures that promote resiliency and sustainability at all levels of society will help avoid substantial losses. But the response and adaption will need financial investment and safety nets to forge resiliency.
The proposed changes include the requirement that new infrastructure and large development projects undertake climate risk assessments at the start of the planning process and incorporate climate resiliency measures. Management plans will be needed for protected areas that attract regular visitors, such as Stingray City. The government will need to investigate the commercial uses and viable markets for sargassum and develop a response strategy.
New agriculture subsidies will be required for ecosystem-based adaptive agriculture, especially regenerative practices to improve soil, crop yields and nutrient densities. A policy to reduce food waste going to the landfill is also needed.
The document also calls for the development of a national growth strategy to maintain a high quality of life for an optimum population, recognising the capacity of natural systems to sustain ecosystem services, including climate adaptation.
It proposes to apply environmental impact assessments, cost-benefit analyses, multi-criteria analyses and other relevant decision tools to future tourism accommodation and product development proposals to ensure that they do not result in a net decline in natural assets. These measures are among numerous adaptations set out in the document that the country will need to implement.
The draft Climate Change Policy was developed by a technical working group, which was spearheaded by the ministry and included representatives from the Cayman Islands National Weather Service, the Department of Environment and Hazard Management Cayman Islands. The Climate Change Risk Assessment stakeholder group was also consulted on the draft objectives and strategies.
In addition to the schedule of district meetings, the public consultation period will involve focus group meetings with stakeholders in key areas, including financial services, insurance, real estate and development.
As the consultation process gets underway, it is now up to the public to voice their opinions about the policy.
See here for updates on the public consultation process, including meeting dates and the feedback survey.
The document can be found in the CNS Library or on the government website.
Feedback can be submitted via email to climate@gov.ky with subject heading: Climate Change Policy Public Consultation 2023.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Climate Change, Science & Nature
Can we at least buy a glass crusher🤔🤔🤔
A Climate Policy when you just bypassed an EIA study for the EW arterial road? Sorry but we can’t make this crap up!
What happened to Vision 2008?
Same thing as the Master Ground Transportation Plan, EY and Miller Shaw reports. Holding together what’s left of the Glasshouse.
Carbon credits are a tax against humans for the right to breathe free air. The cayman islands don’t have to meet any utopia agreements, made or mandated by a non-sovereign entity like the UN because Climate change is a scam to remove power from the people we will not allow ourselves to live under climate governance social credits. #BanESG Jail all involved.
Will they be imprisoned at Qanon Gitmo?
Be prepared to lose freedoms and go broke. Meanwhile Asian nations are ramping up their emissions/ economies.
“Cayman is already experiencing the impacts of climate change, officials from the Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency said“
More appropriate statement would be “Cayman is already experiencing the impact of overdevelopment and poor planning policies”. Chalk it up to a dereliction of duties on the part of elected officials. The current erosion of SMB isn’t from climate change. It’s from building too close to the sea!
Hey Wayne, as Minister of Climate Resiliency a bunch of feel good BS press releases aren’t going to fix anything. Bring us some actual policies to get off diesel generated power, reduce cars via public transport, implement better recycling (stop relying on Dart to do it for you). Maybe then we’ll take you seriously.
After the EWA comments made by almost all of our elected representative this last week, I think it’s clear that THEY all (old and new) will choose money and power over the environment everyday, so this policy becomes pointless.
The voting public needs to decide- do WE care about the impact of climate change on our island, and even if we don’t, do we really think the current elected officials will be capable of dealing with the aftermath of that decision.
Voters need to care about the things you can do something about. Education, corruption, overbuilding come to mind.
Make some room on the shelf.
The folks at CIG who review such media press releases really should talk to whoever is doing the talking and tell them, that when they speak about ‘ Carbon net zero’ or ‘Carbon neutral sustainability ‘ & ‘Neutral Carbon credits’ in any discussion , the general public know they are being shined on with absolute waffle and B.S.
Those types of phrases only work for the millennials and greenies, not sensible people.
Not for the greedy climate change deniers who dont give a rat’s ass about the future of the country and the world at large.
No just for the brainwashed obtuse basement dwellers and liberals that believe in climate fairy tales.
What does poltical tribalization have to do with comprehension of science and research?
In your case, and many in the right wing tribe, its confirmation bias on climate change, and in fact, anything that doesn’t align with your belief system.
You are talking about yourself 624 and projecting on those who disagree with you. Do you have an autographed first edition copy of Rules for Radicals in your basement?
Bla bla bla words words words. Cheers Wayne.
A waste of time when the ‘highest in the land’ can choose to ignore the will of the people. The courts are the only way to go to force the government to follow their own laws and not allow them to break them at will.
There is tons of sand on the sea bed floor which can be reclaimed and spread along the shoreline which has been lost due to hurricane storm weather erosion. That is the most sustainable way of addressing this matter. Which it will extend the width of the beach coastal area landscape.
But first, let’s tear down the walls and pools too close to the sands.
hey dingus, they tried that… it didn’t work.
A lot changed in a mere 11 days or so:
https://caymannewsservice.com/2023/04/another-earth-day-passes-with-no-climate-policy/
This is nothing more than a feel good exercisie. Being an insignificant land mass, nothing we do will make a difference in the Climate Change Fight.
Other than filling or developments to a higher elevation, the only thing that makes sense is to create a fund for when the residents of the island have to relocate
Hard to take serious when PACT just agreed to not have the mandated EIA for the road extension.
2023-2025 priority (according to the draft policy): “Require and integrate hazard vulnerability and climate risk assessments into national development planning processes and utilise environmental impact assessments (EIAs) to further assist with decision
making when required.” – Uhm, good luck with that. As long as no one thinks the EIA might reveal any uncomfortable truths. Like that flooding might be a problem. With climate change, you know.
Wayne, would you like some maple syrup with that load of waffle? How do you plan to accomplish any of these pie in the sky goals when all your ministers are hell bent bypassing any mitigation measures?
This is another joke like our National Energy Policy.
Wayne is nothing but hot air when it comes to climate/environment or anything for that matter!
Difficult to be anything else when his greedy egotistical colleagues won’t back him up.
The ones he hand picked you mean?
From the cesspool of available candidates you mean?
Don’t worry, between PACT and sleepy Roy they will get everything sorted out pronto – just like the dump!