IN today’s Tribune, we celebrate Earth Day, complete with a special supplement for the occasion. And to mark the day, Casuarina McKinney-Lambert writes about the importance of the day.

This year, Earth Day is marked by the theme “Our Power, Our Planet” — a timely and fitting reminder of the choices we face as a nation. For The Bahamas, this is not merely a slogan, but an urgent call to reflect on the kind of future we wish to build for ourselves and for generations to come.

We are often reminded that The Bahamas is a small island developing state, but we are also a large ocean nation. Our marine territory vastly exceeds our land mass, and the well-being of our lives on land is intrinsically linked to the health of the waters around us. Our reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds provide essential services — protecting ourselves and our coastlines, supporting livelihoods, sequestering carbon, serving as an incredible underwater classroom, and sustaining biodiversity. Yet these ecosystems are under mounting pressure from threats such as climate change, pollution, and unsustainable development.

In the face of such challenges, the real question is where our power lies. Do we continue to contemplate possible short-term gains from oil exploration — a course that runs counter to climate science, public sentiment, the long-term interests of our tourism and fisheries sectors, and the very existence of our low-lying islands? Or do we instead recognise the true renewable resources at our disposal?

Few countries are better placed than The Bahamas to benefit from renewable energy. We enjoy abundant sunlight throughout the year, and a “Powered by the Sun” marketing campaign would reflect well on us. Rather than investing in fossil fuel infrastructure, we could be leading the region in solar energy deployment — powering homes, schools, and public buildings with clean, local energy.

The recent move to name sailing as the national sport of The Bahamas offers a symbolic parallel. Our ancestors harnessed the wind to navigate the waters and transport fish, pineapples and other goods between islands. This laid the foundations of our culture and economy, and the Family Island Regatta is testament to this vibrant wind-powered maritime history. Today, we have the opportunity to use that same force —alongside solar energy — to navigate our way toward energy independence and climate resilience.

But real progress will depend not only on technology, but on people. The power of the public to shape environmental decisions must not be overlooked. Transparency, proper public consultation, and a robust Environmental Impact Assessment process must become the norm rather than the exception. Development that fails to consider social and ecological impact is not development at all  —it is a risk to our future.

Earth Day is an opportunity to acknowledge that national development is not something done to people, but something done with our people and by our people. Across the islands, Bahamians care deeply about the natural environment, and there is strong support for moving away from oil drilling and over-development of our precious islands and cays, and towards a more sustainable path.

In the end, “Our Power” lies in our collective capacity to make responsible choices and to hold each other to account. We are privileged to have been entrusted with one of the most extraordinary environments on Earth. Let us rise to that responsibility — not just today on Earth Day, but every day —with foresight, courage, and the resolve to chart a better course.

Casuarina McKinney-Lambert

BREEF executive director