New climate policy edited by MPs and already gathering dust

(CNS): The new climate policy appears to be in danger of suffering the same fate as its predecessor and has already begun gathering dust on a government shelf, having been presented to the PACT caucus by then-premier Wayne Panton almost a year ago. In parliament last week, Panton asked the current sustainability minister what had happened to the document, which had been set to go before Cabinet last October and why it had not been adopted already, given the severe risks to Cayman and its people identified in the policy.

Panton asked why the final policy hasn’t been published as a guide to long-term planning, especially in light of the recent close shave the Cayman Islands had with Hurricane Beryl, a clear demonstration of how climate change is impacting our region as storms intensify and the sea level rises.

Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, who now has the sustainability portfolio but is under immense pressure from her Cabinet colleagues to support the weakening of the National Conservation Act, told Panton that since November, the draft policy he had presented has been edited “to reflect the feedback received when it was previously considered when it was first presented to caucus” by the elected members.

She did not indicate what those edits were, how much the policy may have been changed or if the edits were made under technical advice from the ministry, the National Conservation Council or the Department of Environment.

“The ministry has submitted the updated draft policy back to caucus, but it has not yet been placed on the agenda for consideration,” Ebanks-Wilks said. “The Ministry has continued to progress related work, such as public awareness of the severe risks that climate change poses to our beloved islands.”

Panton asked the minister for some kind of confirmation, given the time that has now passed, that the current government really does appreciate the severity of the risks that the people of the Cayman Islands are facing in relation to climate change. But she was unable to offer that confirmation and could not reassure Panton that the new government is actually aware of what the country faces.

Nevertheless, the minister said the ministry continues to do its work on climate change matters, and the policy document is on the Cabinet agenda, though she could not say when her ministry’s policy would be adopted as it now had to be reconsidered.

“I really can’t give a definitive answer on that at this stage,” she told Panton and the listening audience.

See information about the policy and the risk assessments it is based on here.

Watch the questions and answers on the matter on CIGTV: