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:
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Category: Climate Change, Policy, Politics, Science & Nature
Brainwashed supporters.
Meanwhile, there is literally a public consultation meeting tonight on Kenneth Bryan’s $65+ mln plans to dredge one or more of north sound, frank sound and the protected marine park harbour. This is how deeply out of touch this Minister and Cabinet is.
The “options” were environmental suicide and the “consultants” clueless to the sea conditions around Breakers and Frank Sound outside the coral reef (which protects Frank Sound and Breakers and which they didn’t even know existed). They were oblivious to the marine parks and conservation efforts out there. And what of erosion, displacement of sand, our last few parrotfish, grey pelicans, precious reef and marine environment, residents in the area and additional vehicle load on an already ruptured traffic infrastructure. The daily commute from the East is already almost 2 hours each way. The land based options required land cut out to the sea… what happens to Bodden Town Road then? ALL the Breakers plans would add massive traffic strain and depended on EW Arterial… surprise surprise! But what happens when it all gets to Hurleys?
Entire debacle was a joke and already too much public money is being wasted on hypothetical whims of our politicians all desperate to make a name for themselves before election when they might be voted out.
And Kenny, all your talk of “my people” is both patronising and sickening. We’re not YOUR people or Amy other politician’s people.
another glorious day for cig/civil service…..zzzzzz
any comment mrs governor?
9:20, The Governor has NO / NO responsibility for environmental matters under our constitution. She is not a politician.
We need to put on our big boy & girl pants and start doing things ourselves. If we are incapable of that, then direct rule is the only answer.
9:20. Rubbish. It is clear that Civil Servants have done their job and developed the policy. However we elected a news reporter (Kenneth) A failed bakery owner (Bernie) an immigration agent (Sabrina) a nice lady ( Heather) a contractor (Jay) and the frightening list goes on. Why did we believe these guys could solve cayman sophisticated problems.
Yet you want to pass the buck to our Governor. Shame on you.
I was fooled in. 2021. I won’t be an idiot in 2025
9:19. I take it you have been living in a cave in Afghanistan. Actually it is you that is uneducated. I suggest you visit the team in Kathy Ministry.
there is no-one in cig or civil service with enough intelligence to address climate policy
civil service/cig is filled with poorly educated people with zero ability to tackle these issues.
if we can’t be honest and face these facts we will never be closer to a solution.
Your very statement assumes constants and variables which have not yet been firmly established. … and yet you have the gall to strawman people who might dare to have questions as “poorly educated”. You are as the rest, who choose a side and then parrot their party line. You are likely lazy, and do little or no actual research yourself.
People should be more concerned with “truth” than being right.
you can hire as many qualified and experienced civil servants as you want but until we stop electing ignorant, corruptible political representative who refuse to take the advice of their own experts, you an expect no different results.
Pathetic! This gov’t should be ashamed it is failing the people of Cayman so consistently.
Just close that department. We all know that Sustainability is just a buzz word for this government.
I wish I had the office supply contract for providing CIG with the shelves for all its reports. And the cleaning contract for the dusting.
Robson Construction has the dust removal contract. That is why nothing is happening with George Town’s revitalization