By: Staff Writer
June 24, 2022
Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Philip Davis, QC, said at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Business Forum that Caribbean nations are experiencing “once-in-a-generation” challenges and that the least are suffering the most in the climate change battle.
Mr Davis, said in his remarks and acknowledging the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, while speaking on the topic “Financing Blue-Green Growth for Sustainable Islands,” also noting the impact the Ukraine war is having on inflation and supply chains worldwide that: “Amidst all of it, the negative impacts of climate change remain the most fundamental, existential threat. But that threat is not evenly-spread. Those of us, least-responsible for the carbon emissions which drive climate change, are suffering from the greatest negative impact.
“For us it is not simply a threat, but a clear and present danger – a danger which affects our daily reality.”
Prime Minister Davis pointed out that the Atlantic hurricane season started 22 days prior; and the forecast was for more storms, and storms of great intensity.
“A handful of geological facts highlight our widespread vulnerability,” he noted. “Our archipelago is spread over 100,000 square miles. Ninety-five percent of The Bahamas consists of the seas and oceans. We are an Ocean State,” he said.
The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season is the current cycle of the annual tropical cyclone season in the Atlantic Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere. The season officially began on June 1, and will end on November 30. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers predicted a 70 percent likelihood of between 14 to 21 named storms, with winds of 39 mph or higher.
On May 31, a large low-pressure area developed near the Yucatán Peninsula, partially related to the Pacific basin remnants of Hurricane Agatha interacting with an upper-level trough over the Gulf of Mexico, which created the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2022 season in Alex. The low moved eastward over the Yucatán Peninsula, producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the peninsula and northwestern Caribbean Sea on June 1–2.
Mr Davis also said: “Eighty percent of our land lies less than 1.5 metres above sea level,” he pointed out. “As such, it is vulnerable to floods caused by rises in sea level, along with storm surges due to hurricanes.
“When the storms come, we have no escape,” he added. “We do what we can to shelter, but we are at the mercy of forces far beyond our control.”
Prime Minister Davis stated that, despite those dangers, Bahamians did not wish to live as victims. “Like people the world over, we want dignity and an agency in determining our lives and livelihoods,” he said. “With the right investment in infrastructure, and access to much-needed funds and technical support, we can take great steps to ensure our survival. But we cannot do it alone.”
Prime Minister Davis said that The Bahamas needed partners to support it in its efforts. “And we do not think it is too much to ask those who have contributed so much to climate disaster to step forward and step up in partnering with us to mitigate against its impacts,” he said.
He added that for The Bahamas, financing for the Blue Economy went even further; and that could build both physical and economic sustainability.