This year the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment through the Department of Environmental and Coastal Resources (DECR), celebrated Earth Day with a difference with the Turks and Caicos Islands’ first Climate Change Summit. The Summit, hosted at the Shore Club on Providenciales, under the theme Only One Earth: Invest in Our Planet, was attended by local and regional government and private stakeholders and saw the signing of the Turks and Caicos Islands Climate Change Charter.
Keynote speaker at the event, Deputy Premier of Bermuda Honourable Walter Roban stated that he was encouraged by the regional conversation around the impacts of Climate Change and that the Turks and Caicos Island’s Climate Change Charter had not only set the standard but was one that he would take back to Bermuda to inform the drafting of their own Charter.
“It is important that the same work you have put into attracting development, you put into environmental protection. That the same enthusiasm with which you craft proposals for international development, you must put the same energy into environmental investment and protection, internally and internationally. This is the new philosophy that we must pursue,” encouraged Hon. Roban.
He continued to motivate for robust environmental policy that would enhance and not hinder the livelihoods of the Caribbean region, including green energy solutions, improved air quality and effective land management.
“We, we the Caribbean, must become the strong voices in the campaign for Climate Action… We must become our own advocates in the global fight against Climate Change,” implored Hon. Roban.
Honourable Minister for Tourism and the Environment, Josephine Connolly, echoed Hon. Roban’s sentiments:
“Climate change is often an abstract concept to us; one we hear all too often about and yet do not always appreciate the implications of. We are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and yet our voices are not always heard and our concerns noted. We need to start having our own discussions, locally and regionally and my government believes that this time is now! The Ministry of Tourism and Environment believes that urgent action is needed to come alongside our international counterparts to support the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius”, stated Hon. Connolly.
Director of the DECR, Lormeka Williams cited the Turks and Caicos Island’s first Environmental Conference hosted in 2007, explaining that the Environmental Charter signed at that occasion had laid the groundwork for the Turks and Caicos Islands’ environmental protection goals but that the Climate Change Summit’s objectives were far more pressing as globally we inch ever-closer to earth’s tipping point, namely If global temperatures rise by more than 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, some environmental changes could become irreversible, depending on the magnitude and duration of the ‘overshoot’ beyond this threshold.
The latter part of the event was dominated by experts in renewable energy, coral and terrestrial conservation, meteorology and water conservation, to name but a few. The event was attended by invited guests, however was livestreamed for the public to tune into, at whim. Recordings of the entire Summit are available on YouTube and Facebook, on the TCI Climate Change Summit (@tciclimatechangesummit) page.
To echo Hon. Connolly’s concerns, the Turks and Caicos Islands need to adapt to the imminent threats faced due to the impacts of climate change, including loss and damage from extreme climatic events. She continued:
“Finalizing the Climate Change Charter commitment will enable the Turks and Caicos Islands to forge a resilient path ahead, through unity, to secure livelihoods for today and the future”.
