Again, where are the facts? If the Right Honourable Prime Minister has evidence -- an independent audit or one completed by the Auditor General -- that "50 percent or more of it is connected directly to climate change" then share it. Otherwise, stop deflecting responsibility for irresponsible government spending and waste by both FMN and PLP governments.
Perhaps the Right Honourable Prime Minister should have recognized experts such as those at the University of The Bahamas as his spokespeople or sources of science and fact based information about climate change. For he doesn't appear to understand basic concepts that he bandies about, such as green economy, blue economy, and climate change.
Also, he appears unwilling to talk about the need to reduce and, more importantly, put into place policies to reduce the The Bahamas' per capita carbon footprint. We rank in the top 25% of global carbon dioxide emitters per person because, even though we aren't a fossil fuel producer or an industrial economy, we are a carbon-based economy. Consider our electricity production, our transportation, our tourism-based economy, and our consumption patterns.
So, as I have asked elsewhere, Mr. Prime Minister. What is the your government’s plan to reduce CO2 emissions? to create a more sustainable Bahamian society? While individuals can reduce carbon footprints, only government policies and laws and national action can bring about meaningful, sustained change -- change needed to ensure a better life for present and future generations.
Undocumented immigration (for say work and residence) and refugee immigration are indeed challenges for The Bahamas. Challenges that must be better addressed and with the help of countries such as the United States, often the preferred end-destination for many of our migrants despite the hostility so many experience there.
However, before we point fingers, we must consider the facts. According to 2019 UN statistics, we are not in the top fifty (50) countries by immigrants as a percentage of our population. (See https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/…) Also, we are much wealthier than many countries that have have proportionately larger immigrant populations.
Further, many of the immigrants under discussion and often maligned, whether documented or undocumented, are readily hired by Bahamian individuals and businesses and by non-Bahamian residents.
In terms of taking in people defined as refugees, The Bahamas is not even in the top one hundred (100). Again, this is measured as a percentage of our population. (See https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistic….)
UN definition of refugee: Refugees are persons who are outside their country of origin for reasons of feared persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order and, as a result, require international protection.
While the oil spill has been unique because of its visibility and potential to damage the environment (e.g., if the wind were blowing from a different direction and it didn't end up confined in the small cove), it is by no means unique in terms of environmental disruption. For example, dozens of BEC transformers were dumped on the same property and the waterfront just to the east has for years been a dumping ground for dozens and dozens of old vehicles. Further, for decades, many backroads of Exuma contain illegal dump sites that are still in use today -- cars, construction debris, household items; you name it. Aside from being unsightly, many of these discarded items contain hazardous material that eventually leaks into what little groundwater the island has. Photos are from different dump locations.
If the country -- and especially the government -- abandoned the practice and mandate of forcing people to retire at age 65, we might have more educators available. Many of us over the official retirement age are physically healthier than many younger people. More important, those of us who elect to continue past retirement age not only have accumulated wisdom to pass on to both our younger peers and students, but remain in the classroom because we are passionate about helping people to learn -- not because it's simply a job.
Shouldn't age discrimination be protected by our Constitution and laws -- in the same way as gender, race, creed, etc. Don't we have a fundamental right to be old?
A fortuitous circumstance. The location of the line rupture and steady onshore winds pushed the spill into the small bay. If winds had been, say, offshore or parallel to the coast, the spill would have been more widespread.
As with gas pumps at service stations and pipelines for transporting fuels, etc, the tanker should have had an emergency shutoff valve that activated when there was an unexpected change in pressure. This spill could have been avoided with appropriate safety equipment. Was the fuel being transferred at night and unattended?
To the editor: Please do a better job of editing. If you are quoting an individual accurately and they have made a mistake, acknowledge it by adding [sic]. For example: "...I was on September 15, 2022 [sic] (election day)" and “We are routing [sic] for you..."
To the Honourable Minister and his exhortations to young Bahamians about possessing land ("We are depending on you to possess this land."): Stop selling it off to the highest bidder, especially public access to Bahamian beaches to non-Bahamians. Otherwise, one day, there'll be little other than land out in the bush to possess.
The connection between increased boat/yacht/cruise ship traffic and stony coral tissue loss disease should be investigated, as research shows that stony coral disease inhabits seafloor sediments. Marine traffic helps stir up these sediments and increases the transmission of SCTLD, especially in shallow regions in areas protected from ocean swells and large waves. The same holds for dredging to create artificial harbours, docking facilities, and access channels, very popular activities by wealthier property owners (e.g., in the Exuma Cays).
On a related note, while coral restoration projects can help local reefs recover from the effects of warming temperatures, many have only had a temporary effect on recovery. Long-term, more widespread solutions involve changes in the way we utilize our environment, including well-enforced large marine protected areas and, more importantly, reducing fossil fuel and other greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, warming oceans are, by far, the main threat to coral reefs and marine ecosystems generally, and our only hope is to slow and eventually stop human-driven global warming.
While the damage mentioned above is unfortunate, even tragic, for those affected, insurers must go beyond simply saying such extreme flooding should be a "wake-up call" for the 2022 hurricane season. Such extreme weather events, including more severe hurricane seasons, are the result of human-induced climate change, and insurance companies must play an active role in educating Bahamians about how ever-increasing extreme weather events will affect our lives -- including how to mitigate damage in the short-term and adapt to change over the longer term.
For those who continue to turn a blind eye or deny the reality that global warming is the prime driver behind historically recent weather extremes, consider:
In 2014, Lloyd's of London, the world's oldest and biggest insurance market stated that insurers must include climate change in their modeling and noted that global payouts due to extreme weather events due to global warming continue to rise for insurers. Further, in November 2021, Lloyd's CEO John Neal called climate-related weather extremes the "ultimate systemic risk," but also "the biggest single opportunity the insurance industry has ever seen.” Translation: While insurers' payments will continue to increase, premium rises will lead to increased profits??
Similarly, in a recent publication on preparing for climate change risk, Deloitte, a Big Four accounting organization and the world's largest professional services network, began by stating "the climate change insurance risk is intensifying, examine the insurance industry’s response to climate change, and explore action items insurers should consider to address risks and achieve greater resilience."
Likewise, in 2014, the respected Swiss Re Institute which, among other things, shares "risk knowledge in re/insurance through [its] publications, data sets, client programmes and conferences" notes that, while "climate change is a manageable risk for re/insurers...the rising threat is alarming. In response, the industry needs to improve risk models to better assess climate hazards: the mandate is to ensure development of the capabilities to be able to underwrite natural catastrophe risks in the future. Re/insurers can also play a key role in advancing the transition to a low-carbon economy by providing solutions to manage risks."
Insurers -- and other private sector leaders -- consider the call to "play a key role...by providing solutions to manage risks." And please don't beat around the bush: Climate change/global warming is real and will increasingly impact the lifestyle and livelihood of our people.
zemilou says...
Worth a read: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202…
On WILL CHARLES BE OUR LAST KING?
Posted 10 September 2022, 9:08 a.m. Suggest removal
zemilou says...
Again, where are the facts? If the Right Honourable Prime Minister has evidence -- an independent audit or one completed by the Auditor General -- that "50 percent or more of it is connected directly to climate change" then share it. Otherwise, stop deflecting responsibility for irresponsible government spending and waste by both FMN and PLP governments.
Perhaps the Right Honourable Prime Minister should have recognized experts such as those at the University of The Bahamas as his spokespeople or sources of science and fact based information about climate change. For he doesn't appear to understand basic concepts that he bandies about, such as green economy, blue economy, and climate change.
Also, he appears unwilling to talk about the need to reduce and, more importantly, put into place policies to reduce the The Bahamas' per capita carbon footprint. We rank in the top 25% of global carbon dioxide emitters per person because, even though we aren't a fossil fuel producer or an industrial economy, we are a carbon-based economy. Consider our electricity production, our transportation, our tourism-based economy, and our consumption patterns.
So, as I have asked elsewhere, Mr. Prime Minister. What is the your government’s plan to reduce CO2 emissions? to create a more sustainable Bahamian society? While individuals can reduce carbon footprints, only government policies and laws and national action can bring about meaningful, sustained change -- change needed to ensure a better life for present and future generations.
On PM: Half our debt direct result of climate effects
Posted 22 August 2022, 10:53 a.m. Suggest removal
zemilou says...
Undocumented immigration (for say work and residence) and refugee immigration are indeed challenges for The Bahamas. Challenges that must be better addressed and with the help of countries such as the United States, often the preferred end-destination for many of our migrants despite the hostility so many experience there.
However, before we point fingers, we must consider the facts. According to 2019 UN statistics, we are not in the top fifty (50) countries by immigrants as a percentage of our population. (See https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/…) Also, we are much wealthier than many countries that have have proportionately larger immigrant populations.
Further, many of the immigrants under discussion and often maligned, whether documented or undocumented, are readily hired by Bahamian individuals and businesses and by non-Bahamian residents.
In terms of taking in people defined as refugees, The Bahamas is not even in the top one hundred (100). Again, this is measured as a percentage of our population. (See https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistic….)
UN definition of refugee: Refugees are persons who are outside their country of origin for reasons of feared persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order and, as a result, require international protection.
On ‘World wants us to absorb all who leave Haiti’ - PM
Posted 26 July 2022, 10:10 a.m. Suggest removal
zemilou says...
While the oil spill has been unique because of its visibility and potential to damage the environment (e.g., if the wind were blowing from a different direction and it didn't end up confined in the small cove), it is by no means unique in terms of environmental disruption. For example, dozens of BEC transformers were dumped on the same property and the waterfront just to the east has for years been a dumping ground for dozens and dozens of old vehicles. Further, for decades, many backroads of Exuma contain illegal dump sites that are still in use today -- cars, construction debris, household items; you name it. Aside from being unsightly, many of these discarded items contain hazardous material that eventually leaks into what little groundwater the island has. Photos are from different dump locations.
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2022…
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2022…
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2022…
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2022…
On INSIGHT: What lessons will be learned from Exuma diesel spill?
Posted 26 July 2022, 9:44 a.m. Suggest removal
zemilou says...
If the country -- and especially the government -- abandoned the practice and mandate of forcing people to retire at age 65, we might have more educators available. Many of us over the official retirement age are physically healthier than many younger people. More important, those of us who elect to continue past retirement age not only have accumulated wisdom to pass on to both our younger peers and students, but remain in the classroom because we are passionate about helping people to learn -- not because it's simply a job.
Shouldn't age discrimination be protected by our Constitution and laws -- in the same way as gender, race, creed, etc. Don't we have a fundamental right to be old?
On Zero tolerance plan to tackle school violence
Posted 22 July 2022, 11:32 a.m. Suggest removal
zemilou says...
A fortuitous circumstance. The location of the line rupture and steady onshore winds pushed the spill into the small bay. If winds had been, say, offshore or parallel to the coast, the spill would have been more widespread.
On Darville ‘horrified’ at damage to pristine waters
Posted 22 July 2022, 8:55 a.m. Suggest removal
zemilou says...
As with gas pumps at service stations and pipelines for transporting fuels, etc, the tanker should have had an emergency shutoff valve that activated when there was an unexpected change in pressure. This spill could have been avoided with appropriate safety equipment. Was the fuel being transferred at night and unattended?
On Darville ‘horrified’ at damage to pristine waters
Posted 22 July 2022, 8:52 a.m. Suggest removal
zemilou says...
To the editor: Please do a better job of editing. If you are quoting an individual accurately and they have made a mistake, acknowledge it by adding [sic]. For example: "...I was on September 15, 2022 [sic] (election day)" and “We are routing [sic] for you..."
To the Honourable Minister and his exhortations to young Bahamians about possessing land ("We are depending on you to possess this land."): Stop selling it off to the highest bidder, especially public access to Bahamian beaches to non-Bahamians. Otherwise, one day, there'll be little other than land out in the bush to possess.
On Munroe: We are on cusp of transformation
Posted 13 June 2022, 4:08 p.m. Suggest removal
zemilou says...
The connection between increased boat/yacht/cruise ship traffic and stony coral tissue loss disease should be investigated, as research shows that stony coral disease inhabits seafloor sediments. Marine traffic helps stir up these sediments and increases the transmission of SCTLD, especially in shallow regions in areas protected from ocean swells and large waves. The same holds for dredging to create artificial harbours, docking facilities, and access channels, very popular activities by wealthier property owners (e.g., in the Exuma Cays).
On a related note, while coral restoration projects can help local reefs recover from the effects of warming temperatures, many have only had a temporary effect on recovery. Long-term, more widespread solutions involve changes in the way we utilize our environment, including well-enforced large marine protected areas and, more importantly, reducing fossil fuel and other greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, warming oceans are, by far, the main threat to coral reefs and marine ecosystems generally, and our only hope is to slow and eventually stop human-driven global warming.
On Coral killer will ‘decimate’ tourism, fisheries sectors
Posted 9 June 2022, 8:52 a.m. Suggest removal
zemilou says...
While the damage mentioned above is unfortunate, even tragic, for those affected, insurers must go beyond simply saying such extreme flooding should be a "wake-up call" for the 2022 hurricane season. Such extreme weather events, including more severe hurricane seasons, are the result of human-induced climate change, and insurance companies must play an active role in educating Bahamians about how ever-increasing extreme weather events will affect our lives -- including how to mitigate damage in the short-term and adapt to change over the longer term.
For those who continue to turn a blind eye or deny the reality that global warming is the prime driver behind historically recent weather extremes, consider:
In 2014, Lloyd's of London, the world's oldest and biggest insurance market stated that insurers must include climate change in their modeling and noted that global payouts due to extreme weather events due to global warming continue to rise for insurers. Further, in November 2021, Lloyd's CEO John Neal called climate-related weather extremes the "ultimate systemic risk," but also "the biggest single opportunity the insurance industry has ever seen.” Translation: While insurers' payments will continue to increase, premium rises will lead to increased profits??
Similarly, in a recent publication on preparing for climate change risk, Deloitte, a Big Four accounting organization and the world's largest professional services network, began by stating "the climate change insurance risk is intensifying, examine the insurance industry’s response to climate change, and explore action items insurers should consider to address risks and achieve greater resilience."
Likewise, in 2014, the respected Swiss Re Institute which, among other things, shares "risk knowledge in re/insurance through [its] publications, data sets, client programmes and conferences" notes that, while "climate change is a manageable risk for re/insurers...the rising threat is alarming. In response, the industry needs to improve risk models to better assess climate hazards: the mandate is to ensure development of the capabilities to be able to underwrite natural catastrophe risks in the future. Re/insurers can also play a key role in advancing the transition to a low-carbon economy by providing solutions to manage risks."
Insurers -- and other private sector leaders -- consider the call to "play a key role...by providing solutions to manage risks." And please don't beat around the bush: Climate change/global warming is real and will increasingly impact the lifestyle and livelihood of our people.
On Insurers: Monday night floods a ‘wake-up call’
Posted 1 June 2022, 4:49 p.m. Suggest removal