Climate policy in limbo as more heat records broken
(CNS): The data for global temperatures is expected to show that last month was the warmest February on record after spring-like conditions across the Northern Hemisphere caused flowers to bloom early from Japan to Mexico, left Europe’s ski slopes bereft of snow and Texas sizzling at 100°F.
The Cayman Islands may have enjoyed cooler weather for the time of year, but February 2024 is the ninth consecutive month that broke global temperature records, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Cayman can do little on its own to address climate change but it can prepare for the inevitable. However, a policy developed to help these islands navigate the coming challenges remains in limbo.
While the data for the whole month has still to be finalised, the first week was so hot that climate scientists warned that El Niño is making an already warming planet even hotter. With fears that important glaciers, such as the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, are melting more rapidly than predicted, the Cayman Islands remain vulnerable to sea level rise.
Last year, the 2012 climate policy, which had not been adopted by previous governments, was updated and championed by Wayne Panton when he was the premier and climate minister, but since he was ousted from office in a government coup, the policy appears to be sitting in limbo.
According to ministry officials, following public consultation on the policy, the revised draft was presented to caucus in October and was due to go before Cabinet. However, almost six months later, the document has not been on the agenda for any Cabinet meeting.
The new minister for the Sustainability and Climate Resiliency portfolio, Kathy Ebanks-Wilks, has reportedly edited the policy document. It is not clear if the DoE scientists or any of the ministry’s technical staff have seen the changes and how they affect the document’s goals.
In response to CNS inquiries made several weeks ago, a spokesperson for the ministry said that Ebanks-Wilks “has had the opportunity to review the revised draft and, once final edits have been incorporated into the document, the ministry will submit the updated draft policy to Cabinet for approval”.
In the meantime, the ministry has continued to move forward with related work, “such as public awareness of the severe risks climate change poses to our islands”, the official added.
The new UPM administration continues to drag its feet over the much-needed updated development plan, and it is clear from recent events and the warnings coming from the global scientific community that the first problem for Cayman is the erosion of the coast and the desperate need to stop beachfront development by introducing much deeper setbacks.
Although public opinion is in favour of curtailing development and in support of the policy, the developer lobby appears able to stymie any proposals to mitigate against rising sea-levels to pursue the relentless, purely profit-driven construction on the coast around all three islands.
As Cayman continues to stall the adoption of the policy, during the summer in the Southern Hemisphere, Argentina, Peru, Brazil and Chile all endured heat waves, and wildfires near Santiago killed at least 133 people last month.
Even though the current El Niño is expected to dissipate and shift to La Niña before the end of the year, NOAA nevertheless predicts a 22% chance that 2024 will break 2023’s record as the hottest year since records began.
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Category: Climate Change, Science & Nature
Yeah, and the stupid,foolish voters keep voting them back in and they laughing behind the voters back and saying what a bunch of stupid people.
45% of people feel bored after reading this. Every single article on climate, conservation etc gets the same reaction.
Very similar in the likes – thanks for proving the point! There is no consensus nor mandate for these random crusades. It’s doing untold damage to real environmental priorities on these islands.
There is nothing the Cayman Islands can do about global warming. The argument of those who say this is, in essence, that a small country like the Cayman Islands cannot do anything that will affect many people. But that is the same logic as criminals who steal while making excuses in their minds that one shoplifter has no impact on society.
The Cayman Islands is in the group of industrialised countries that emit the most CO2 per capita, the most direct cause of global warming. Whether a country is large or small, it is ultimately individuals who emit CO2, and the impact on the global environment should be no different depending on whether the country you live in is large or small.
Can you justify your actions to your children and grandchildren’s generation, who will be more severely affected by global warming, by falling to the same level as criminals and making childish excuses such as “a small country doing something wrong will not affect the world”? Can you discipline and educate your children with pride? Are you not ashamed to be a human being?
There is no longer any officially recognised scientific society that would deny the anthropogenic effects of global warming caused by CO2 and human activity. Conspiracy theorists are more likely to be dubious civil society groups or people who claim to be scientists but are not even climate change experts. Those of us who live in low-lying areas most affected by global warming should learn a bit about global warming scientifically, instead of being fooled by silly conspiracy theories. If you still insist that global warming is a conspiracy, then you can discuss it in a dignified manner at the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. That is the world’s most authoritative scientific debate on global warming. Let me state here the fact that, at least in that forum, the conspiracy theorists have now been completely defeated scientifically.
Hurricane season this year has already been predicted as being one of the most active ever. Temperatures of the ocean are 3* warmer than the coast of Africa already and thats Feb temps up 3* on june temps by the way so watch
They say that every year
A coup 😂😂😂
Cayman will become The Cluster Cancer Island if the Waste Management System is not brought up to the 21st century standards. WtE is NOT the solution.
Japan offers other countries to set-up the proper System, they are the world’s experts in that. It includes RRR and zero toxic emissions solutions.
You can continue mulling over for 10 more years, but nobody, I mean NOBODY but Japanese experts can offer the SYSTEMIC, all INCLUSIVE approach to the waste management. It is an island country, it is overcrowded, yet, they have state of the art complex and comprehensive approach to managing municipal and other waste.
With so many hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, medical labs, imaging centers, veterinarian and dentists the waste is getting not just more toxic, it is infections, radioactive, biohazards.
Remember that a miser pays twice. Only Cayman pays trice: people’s lives is a non monetary price it is paying.
thrice
darn autocorrrrrect
Though they are related, climate change focus and conservation are distinctly different. I believe if the Cayman Islands concentrated on conservation and mitigation of pollutants it would be taken more seriously by its citizens. Conservation of our natural resources, proper planning (setbacks from the sea, less condos/overcrowding) and mitigation of contaminants (dump, ground contamination, etc) is the best of things for ourselves and future generations. It is measurable and should be one of our top priorities.
Avoid the rush.
Mutate now.
Too much asphalt!
*ashphelt
I wonder how the earth had 5 major Ice Ages, meaning there was warming and cooling, and was able to warm and cool without spending a penny….
CNS: It was just really difficult for the dinosaurs to get to an ATM.
LOL
T-Rex was known to have short arms and deep pockets.
So it’s looking like what’s considered the smartest species to have lived on earth will likely be the species that lived the shortest length of time because they f***** it all up, sounds about right
Taylor Swift is doing her part by paying the carbon tax on her jet usage. Taxation is the solution. Once the climate sees people paying the taxes it will back off.
Tax isn’t the answer. You know it won’t be the hypocritical celebrities in their mega yachts and jets that get hit with it. It will be your common man. I don’t want to give my government let alone any government more money to waste away. People already struggling. I can guarantee the money will not be used to create sensible policies or greener infrastructure.
The OP was joking.
I didn’t properly read the end part of their post. My bad.
in this age where everyone is looking for something to be offended by, the art of understanding sarcasm is lost.
That’s my point, ‘follow the money’ as the saying goes. Governments world over have grasped the idea that climate change can be changed into a crisis and the offer the solution of a carbon tax. As each day passes, more and more scientists are saying ‘climate change yes, climate crisis no’. Look what is happening in UK with ULEZ cameras and the revenue it is generating.
Wow. I would have thought she has enough cash to have someone like Elon Musk to design and build her a hydrogen powered jet. I guess shelling out a few greenbacks solves her guilt trip though.
Stop with the drama! If you want to stop climate change then stop making babies. The earth has 8 billion people on it compared to 1 billion 75 years ago.
Do I receive $1B for not making any, saving the planet.
4:46 Anti-human nonsense. Many counties are starting to see below-replacement birthrates. Japan, South Korea, Italy etc etc. Even countries like India and China are seeing a drop in birthrates. You think its good but it will have repercussions down the road. If you don’t want kids that’s your choice. But I’m sick of people pushing the anti-child rhetoric ‘for the sake of the planet’.
Yet, 4:46 is correct.
Studies as far back as 2000 indicated the world’s sustainable population to be, at the most then, about 1 Bil’.
It’s no coincidence that about the time the world’s population started to exceed this thresh-hold that we started to see CO2 rise , when coupled with the expansion of the industrialized nations.
BBC recently ran an article that showed Antarctic ice core studies on the Thwaits Glacier / Western ice sheet, that the CO2 rise started to run away around 1946.
I didn’t state that their reporting on numbers was wrong. You failed, however, to address my point. That is birth rates across the globe are declining. You do you but no one has any right to tell people what they can and can’t do with their bodies. If people want kids let them. If you want to live alone with 5 cats that’s also your choice.
The average global birthrate is 18.1 births per 1,000 population annually
The death rate is 7.7 per 1,000 population
It appears that if birthrates are 2.5 times the deathrate, the population is increasing.
While birthrates are down in the developed world, they are increasing in the devoloping world.
The world population is predicted to increase by 2 billion in the next 30 years.
Figures don’t lie. Liars figure.
You are figuring.
If the Haitians ever discover the south west quadrant of their compass then Cayman is doomed. But we don’t even have a plan to clean up their plastic garbage that piles up on our shores.
Much of that comes from the cruise ships, proof being, it disappeared from our shores during COVID and only returned when the cruise ships did. Something should be done about that too.
Barefoot beach was still covered in it so that’s complete nonsense.
Why dose it all have French labels on it !!
Bullshit
In corresponding local news, seamstresses across the island have reported increased business from customers wanting their trousers and skirts hemmed up in preparation for the on coming flood.
ha ha
two free solutions.
stop meat production and stop having kids.
I don’t think you have thought that through
How about no.
I hope you’re doing your part by not putting your IQ into the future gene pool.
I would also suggest you hold your breath indefinitely.
Jonathon Swift had it figured out
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal
Screwball!
With the exception of Wayne P, not one politician I can think of in the last two decades really, genuinely, gives a shit about the environment or sustainability.
You mean the same Wayne Panton with the big ass boat. Big ass truck. Big ass air conditioned home.
Homes!
Honorable Seymour says there is no climate change or any other problems, it is all fake news.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240222-depaving-the-cities-replacing-concrete-with-earth-and-plants
and what are we doing, the exact opposite, figures 🏗️
Let’s face it people, our politrickians are not interested in doing anything about the environnent.
What they are concerned about are:
1. themselves.
2. the sweet CI $
3. themselves.
Their actions clearly show that the love of money is the root of all evil.