Yes, because of our small population, The Bahamas is not a major overall contributor to global warming. However, our leaders must pause before blaming other countries and consider our per person carbon footprint. Where available, data places The Bahamas in the top 25% of global carbon dioxide emitters per person. The World Bank has no data between 1980 and 2020, except for 2009, when CO2 emissions were 17 metric tons per person. Statista has 7.6 metric tons per person for 2017. For 2016, WorldOMeters has, 11.7 tons per capita. Wikipedia whose data is from Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), shows 7.7 tons per person in 2018.

Who knows what the true figures are but, if we use 7.7 tons as a reasonable figure, we are responsible for a lot of CO2 per person. The number is by no means comparable to that of oil producing countries and nations such as the USA, Canada, and South Korea, but it’s almost the same as China’s and far more than India’s. We are a carbon-based economy — our electricity production, our transportation, our tourism-based economy, and our consumption patterns.

So, Mr. Prime Minister. What is the nation’s plan to reduce CO2 emissions? While each of us can reduce our carbon footprint, only policies can bring about meaningful, sustained change. More concrete action, sir; less rhetoric and finger-pointing.

Adults must stop blaming children. Our children are who they are because of who we are and what our society is. They are a reflection of us and our community. As the old much-cited African proverb states: "It takes a village to raise a child." Where is our proverbial village? And to anyone with the inane response that we don't live in villages anymore, think metaphor. Met-a-phor: "a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable."

Those who are being bigoted - even racist - against the Chinese (and other groups, including Haitians) need to stop. It's not Christian, reflects ignorance, and does not help the world to be a better place. Think: What is it that you fear?

Also, what's the difference between US and Chinese neocolonialism?

For facts about Chinese tourism from the globally recognized McKinsey see https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKins….

If this is too much to read, consider--and fact check--the reality that the Chinese are the world's top spenders in international tourism, accounting for 20+ percent of spending in recent years.

The advisory is Level 4 because of Covid-19 AND crime. Before you spout off read the actual general travel advisory https://travel.state.gov/content/travel… and the actual Covid-19 advisory https://bs.usembassy.gov/covid-19-infor… (a lot of which is about restrictions when here).

Also, our country does not need visitors who might get sick here stressing already overburdened health care facilities.

For allowed shopping and services, how about alternating Monday through Saturday by license plate? Even numbers one day; odd the other. Strict enforcement - a challenge, I know, but if the news gets out about enforcement fines, majority of people will comply. No matter what, those who flaunt the law will continue to do so, but most Bahamians are willing to make sacrifices to keep themselves and others safe. Government policy is another thing. For example, since people can go shopping tomorrow (Wednesday), why not start curfew 10 PM Wednesday, instead of today (Tuesday).

A tragedy of grand proportions - the fire, the discussion by many of Haitians being "the other," and our nation's inability to come up with functional policies for addressing the "Haitian problem."

I wonder how many of us commenting here have and/or do utilize Haitians as as laborers - both those here legally and the undocumented?!

There appears to be considerable fear mongering about the Chinese. How much of it has to do with questions of sovereignty as opposed to elements of racism? Whether we like it or not, our destiny is controlled by the United States, perhaps not directly, but certainly by proxy through U.S. corporate interests. Whither goes the United States goes The Bahamas.

The editorial notes that “China wants a footprint in this hemisphere.” Does China need a “footprint” in this hemisphere?? Consider the following from a December 21, 2016 Forbes Magazine article:

“It's been a milestone year for Chinese companies investing in the U.S. According to Mergermarket, Chinese companies invested a total of $51.09 billion into the U.S. via 65 deals in 2016. That's a 360% surge from 2015 when Chinese companies invested $11.7 billion. In all, Chinese investments made up 12% of all inbound mergers & acquisitions in the U.S. this year, a big step up from previous years when Chinese investments made up about 2% or so of foreign investments into the country.”

If this isn't a footprint, what is – particularly when one considers the close ties between the Chinese government and Chinese corporations??