VULNERABLE areas in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States must collectively and urgently intensify their response to the climate emergency, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis told ACP ambassadors yesterday.
He made the plea while addressing the 925th Meeting of the Committee of Ambassadors of the ACP at ACP House.
Pointing to Category Five Hurricane Dorian that destroyed swathes of Abaco and Grand Bahama, and the Category Three Tropical Cyclone Idai – one of the worst storms to hit the African nations of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi – Prime Minister Minnis said the impact of the global climate emergency is especially felt in the most vulnerable areas of the ACP, including the Caribbean region.
“The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report recognises that the choices we make now will dictate how we are affected by and respond to more storms like Hurricane Dorian and Idai,” he said.
Researchers have concluded that the largest and most damaging hurricanes are now three times more frequent than they were 100 years ago, and have determined that there is a correlation between the intense storms and increased global warming, said Dr Minnis.
“We are painfully aware of the warnings of the impact of climate change on all of our states, including rising sea levels and the threats to agriculture and fisheries,” he said.
Initial assessment by the Inter-American Development Bank and ECLAC on the effects and impact of Hurricane Dorian estimated total damages at $2.4 billion, with an additional cost estimated to be $200 million and losses of over $700 million.
The Bahamian economy was expected to grow by 2.2 percent in 2019. Following the catastrophic storm, the projected GDP growth rate is now 1.1 percent, Dr Minnis said. He noted the ACP’s plans to highlight the concerns of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at its upcoming Ninth Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government in December in Nairobi, Kenya.
The ACP is pushing to ensure that its development partners are sensitised to the particular vulnerabilities faced by SIDS, including recent developments in international trade and finance and the frequency of destructive weather events.
Dr Minnis thanked ACP Secretary-General Dr Patrick Gomes and member-states of the ACP for their expressions of solidarity and support in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.
He also reiterated the commitment of The Bahamas to the ideals and objectives of the ACP since its inception in 1975.
“This commitment has recently manifested itself in the establishment of our opening of an embassy here in Belgium, as we seek to further engage and strengthen cooperation among our fellow member-states and our European Union partners,” Dr Minnis said.
The new Bahamas ambassador to Belgium, Maria O’Brien, serves on the ACP Caribbean Bureau of Ambassadors.
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Comments
birdiestrachan 4 years, 5 months ago
And a good time was held by all. especially roc wit doc.
The_Oracle 4 years, 5 months ago
Large countries cannot come together to combat climate change: large countries can come together to mitigate mans effect on climate change. Small countries can't do diddly squat, especially without large countries permission and funding. Get real dude.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 5 months ago
meetings with Oban are ongoing, BPC raised 25 million to drill for oil in our waters and we just passed a law that says cruise ships can dump waste in our water if "we give them permission"
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 5 months ago
Minnis is as deceitful, arrogant and nasty as they come. I did my best to warn all of you in the run up to the May 2017 general election to THINK, THINK, THINK before ever letting such an incompetent buffoon become PM. But he nevertheless managed to take great advantage of the wave of anti-PLP, anti-Christie sentiment at the time.....but that won't help him next time around given that the vast majority of Bahamians now realise the FNM and PLP are just two different sides of the very same corrupt coin. Most Bahamian voters should be clamouring to vote for an independent candidate running in their constituency in the next general election. Our next government hopefully will be a coalition of elected independents who have no great personal or family ties to either the very corrupt PLP or equally corrupt FNM.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 5 months ago
You did do your best. I remember! I personally told you there was no other option, I still believe that at the time that was true...I had no idea how unprepared this set was though...and the shifting of all these key departments to the PM'S office, the appointment of an economic and financially inexperienced person to oversee the treasury, someone who was interviewed by personally Minnis while the Finance Minister was in the dark...its really unbelievable...(I understand that so far theyve hired 2-3 "deputies" to cloak the competence issue)..
BONEFISH 4 years, 5 months ago
A Phd tell that also about the acting financial secretary.Inept and unsuited for the position.That is the reason for the unrelenting smear campaign being conducted against the financial secretary Wilson by the Punch. That position should be a constitutionally protected.That is why this FNM government has promoted three persons to the position of DFS in the last two years.People in the know here and aboard know that also.
TalRussell 4 years, 5 months ago
Had only those comrade Ambassadors in attendance, could've, would've known how vulnerable of a audience they were for a prime minister, who has demonstrated to his own back in the colony's Out Islanders - how unprepared he was, and remains, to work together.
The same PM, who failed at responding Out Islanders pre and post Hurricane Dorian emergency climate conditions, yes, no ... You don't make stuff like this up, you just cant!
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