LOCAL NEWS...

Oceans heat up as 2021 lands in top 5 hottest years

Cayman News Service
11 January 2022

The year 2021 was the world’s fifth hottest on record, with greenhouse gases surging and oceans warming to new highs and for some countries it was the hottest on record, scientists from NOAA in the US, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and university researchers have reported. The US saw its fourth hottest year on record and all over the world there were extreme weather events.

The last seven years were the world’s warmest “by a clear margin”, climate experts said, with 2020 and 2016 topping the table. There were numerous record-breaking climate events all over the globe in 2021, but despite commitments by governments to cut emissions, carbon dioxide and methane levels surged back up to pe-pandemic levels.

Around the world emissions increased on 2020, when there was a slight and evidently short-lived decrease as a result of the pandemic lockdown. In the United States greenhouse gas emissions rose by 6.2% last year, and recorded increases elsewhere means governmental goals to combat climate change are in jeopardy. Scientists said that the surge in emissions last year cancelled out all of the gains in the previous year’s decline.

A new report from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) examining just 20 weather events in the US last year showed these cost the American economy at least $145 billion.

Meanwhile, new analysis published Tuesday showed that oceans contained the most heat energy in 2021 since measurements began six decades ago — accelerating at a rate only possible because of human-emitted greenhouse gases. Since the late 1980s, Earth’s oceans warmed at a rate eight times faster than the preceding decades.

Warming seas remain of particular concern for low lying nations such as the Cayman Islands.

CNS has contacted the Cayman Islands National Weather Service and the Department of Environment for the latest local statistics on the temperature here in 2021 and the emissions for last year and we are awaiting a full response. But the weather service was able to offer raw data, which saw Cayman’s top temperature last year exceed 33.5C (92.3F) on two separate days in September and October some 6 degrees hotter than the average for September but almost 10 for October. The average temperature for last year was 28.4C or 83.1. According to the most recently available numbers 2019 emissions were the highest in Cayman since 2007, and regionally per capita the country has the highest levels in the Caribbean region. Read the whole story here.

HSA expects to cut costs with solar panels

Cayman News Service
5 January 2022

Solar panels on the Cayman Islands Hospital rooftop

Work at the George Town hospital installing a solar array and one of the largest rooftop installations of solar panels and equipment in the Cayman Islands has finished. The Health Services Authority (HSA) said that this places the hospital among the corporate leaders for environmental sustainability and green initiative among government agencies.

Once it is switched on, it is expected to produce an equivalent amount of clean energy to power 50 private homes in the Cayman Islands. The near $500,000 project is part of a estimated CI$2 million investment in conserving energy at the hospital.

The panels and other green projects are expected to save the hospital around $360,000 per year in running costs and cut down on the HSA’s carbon footprint.

“This project is our flagship solar panel system installation and part of a broader initiative to ensure more healthcare dollars go into staffing and patient treatment and less into operational overhead,” said HSA CEO Lizzette Yearwood. “Our efforts in 2021 included replacement of decades old windows to improve thermal protection, replacement of old chiller systems to high efficiency equipment, and the replacement of bulbs across the main campus with more energy efficient LEDs.” Read the whole story here.

DEH wants Christmas trees recycled rather than placed at landfill

Loop Cayman
5 January 2022

The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) is announcing the beginning of its annual Natural Christmas Tree Recycling Programme.

DEH said that collection bins have now been placed for the public to drop off their natural Christmas trees in the following locations:

• George Town Cricket Field
• George Town Landfill public drop-off area
• Spotts Dock, Savannah

Residents are reminded to remove all wires and ornaments from Christmas trees before they are placed into collection bins which will be available until January 30, 2022.

"Every year, hundreds of enthusiastic residents participate in the Natural Christmas Tree Recycling Programme aimed to reduce the amount of waste entering the George Town Landfill. The trees will later be shredded and free mulch will be made available to members of the public," explained DEH Director, Mr. Richard Simms. Read the whole story here.

Solar entrepreneur takes key energy role

Cayman Compass
27 December 2021

James Whittaker, the new chair of the Energy Council.

Renewable energy entrepreneur James Whittaker aims to accelerate Cayman’s conversion to green power, after being appointed chair of the National Energy Council.

Whittaker, founder of GreenTech Solar and the president of the Cayman Renewable Energy Association, has been a long-time advocate for swifter adoption of renewable energy technologies.

He said Cayman is currently not even close to meeting ambitious goals set out in the National Energy Plan to wean the islands off fossil fuels. That plan sets a goal that 70% of Cayman’s power should come from renewable sources by 2037.

Whittaker’s appointment was confirmed by Cabinet last month, along with the appointment of sustainability advocate Eden Hurlston and former legislator Winston Connolly, a staunch advocate for renewable power, on a new-look Energy Council.

“I think the new members that are coming in are like minded and want to see our national energy and CO2 emissions targets met. We are way behind schedule and I don’t want that to be the case in the next five years. I want us to be ahead.”...

...Tension remains over the right balance between rooftop solar and large-scale energy farms, which can produce electricity at a lower cost. But Whittaker said the National Energy Plan calls for a mix of both.
CUC is understood to have at least one utility scale solar farm in the planning stages.

Whittaker argues that distributed generation, which includes smaller installations, creates more jobs and eats up less land space.

“There has to be a balance,” he said...Read the whole story here.

Environment, accountability and crypto dominate CIIPA’s annual conference

Cayman Compass
13 December 2021

Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability Chief Executive Officer Rob Whiteman addresses attendees during his session on Reporting Public Sector Climate Impacts at Momentum on 9 Dec. at the Kimpton Seafire Resort.

Combatting climate change, the importance of public sector accountability and evolving digital assets were the main topics at the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants’ annual summit held at the Kimpton Seafire Resort on 9 Dec.

Capital markets and the environment“The inconveniences that we have suffered in the last year-and-a-half because of COVID are just a very easy dress rehearsal for the much bigger show that will be the disruption caused to the global economy by climate change,” said Rob Whiteman, chief executive officer of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability.

“I do think if we’re going to stem the temperature rise and try and hold it back to one-and-a-half degrees, actually the profession and accountancy will play an absolutely vital role – as indeed will the capital markets – for the type of investment in technology that is needed.”

A session featuring KPMG’s Anthony Cowell, Jodie McTaggart and Staci Scott examined the results of interviews with 90 endowments and pension plans with nearly US$35 trillion of assets under management, which concluded that the capital markets can play an important role in the transition to a low-carbon emitting world.

“We really do have a once in a generational opportunity now to embed sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) into all of our financial service frameworks, into everything that we do,” Cowell said. “We’re seeing at KPMG a massive reallocation of capital towards ESG in the capital markets and Cayman can really be at the forefront and lead this to really build a better world.” Read the whole story here.

POF activists step up call for plastic ban

Cayman News Service
13 December 2021

George Town landfill (photo by Protect Our Future)

The two tonnes of plastic trash that volunteers picked up from Grand Cayman’s shoreline for World Cleanup Day in September represents the total amount of plastic the island consumes in just over four minutes, according to activists from Protect our Future. This finding has prompted the young environmentalists to start another campaign to urge government to act now to ban single-use plastics.

The previous government had made a commitment to ban single-use plastic by January this year and blamed COVID-19 for the failure to achieve this. But during the four years since Dart was selected to build the waste-to-energy facility, government has failed to roll out any of the policies that were meant to be part of an overall rubbish management plan.

“The urgency of our island’s problems is often met with stalled policy and inaction,” the young activists said, as they explained why they have been targeting this critical issues with dozens of different environmental campaigns.

They have now launched the ‘Our Future is NOT Single-Use’ campaign, which the group said was a statement that speaks for itself and is intended to address the “grievous problem” of plastic pollution as well as Cayman’s wider problem of over-consumption.

“Whether it is a call to action to protect our mangroves, reefs and seagrass from destruction or to limit our plastic consumption, this campaign aims to shift Cayman’s narrative,” POF activists Thomas Dickens, Chloe Bentick-Lalli and Nic Corin said in a press release. “It is also a call to action for the consumer and the developer, for the politician and the small business owner, for the fisherman and the student. We all have our part to play.”

The ban on single-use plastic is more urgent than ever, and in his budget address to Parliament last month Premier Wayne Panton said the PACT Government was ready to move forward with the ban. “We do not believe in reinventing the wheel and will therefore resurrect the work previously done on that and move forward,” he said. Read the whole story here.

RIC to host climate change webinar

Loop Cayman
1 December 2021

The Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) will be hosting a free webinar on the theme, “Why are our days getting hotter? – Climate Change, COP26 and You” on Friday at 9am via Zoom.

The Webinar will feature remarks from Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales, RIC Chairman Dawn Callender, presentations by distinguished speakers and a panel discussion by local and regional industry experts on climate change, energy efficiency, electric vehicles and renewable energy.

Presenters include representatives from the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE), the University of Trinidad and Tobago and the Regulated Industries Commissions.
The presentations will cover a range of topics including:

• “Energy security for the Caribbean – present and future activities and initiatives to address climate change” – Representative from CCREEE
• “Climate change – Electricity conservation present and future” – Retired Chief Technical Officer at T&TEC Courtenay Mark
  
• “Climate change and the energy and transportation nexus” –  Assistant Professor, Utilities Engineering, The University of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Curtis Boodoo
• "Actions towards GORTT's climate change commitments" – Senior Tariff Analyst, Regulated Industries Commission Leah Goddard-Pierre and
• "Advancing energy efficiency and energy conservation in Trinidad and Tobago” – Standards Engineer, Regulated Industries Commission Victor Rodriguez

Interested persons can register for the RIC Webinar at the RIC’s website www.ric.org.tt or the RIC’s Social Media pages. Read the whole story here.

Governor Roper: Throne speech and his final year as Cayman governor

Loop Cayman
28 November 2021

Governor Martyn Roper delivering throne speech

A few days ago, Governor Martyn Roper gave his third throne speech in Parliament.  He covered several topics, including the challenges introduced by COVID-19, the relationship between the UK and overseas territories, Cayman’s role in global climate change efforts, changes in senior public servants (including the Chief Medical Officer), the growth of the Cayman Islands Regiment and the next year's planned celebrations for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s seventieth anniversary on the throne...

...Looking at Cayman’s efforts in respect of climate change, Governor Roper acknowledged the Premier’s establishment of the Ministry for Sustainability and Climate Resiliency and the Premier’s recent attendance at the 26th Conference of the Parties on climate change in Glasgow.

Regarding this, Governor Roper said:

"By prioritising his time to attend this event the Premier demonstrated leadership to show the world that he is dedicated to doing what he can to tackle the issues around climate change - of particular significance to low lying islands such as ours.

Although our global impact is small, I salute the Premier’s and this Government’s intention to ensure Cayman can put its own house in order and set a good example in the region."

Governor Roper also noted that, in Glasgow, the HRH the Prince of Wales personally congratulated the Premier on Cayman’s newly established Commonwealth Climate Growth Fund. He said that the Prince had taken an interest in the fund since his visit to Cayman in 2019. According to Governor Roper, the fund will contribute to raising private sector climate finance for the region and the Commonwealth for investment in Blue/Green projects. Read the whole story here.

Panton: ‘Sustainability is everybody’s business’

Cayman Compass
18 November 2021

The destruction of coral reefs and more storm activity are part of the existential threat that rising global temperatures pose for small island nations.

Climate change is an existential risk and countries, including Cayman, must do more to halt the rise in global average temperatures, Premier Wayne Panton said during the virtual Caribbean ESG Financing Summit on Wednesday, 17 Nov.

Speaking about his experience at the United Nations’ COP26 climate conference recently held in Glasgow, Scotland, Panton said Cayman had to make the necessary changes itself to be part of the solution.

“But the rest of the world, which is contributing the vast majority of the greenhouse gases, need to get on board and they need to make the moves necessary,” he said.

The target remains to limit global warming to a 1.5 degrees Celsius increase from pre-industrial levels. Without the necessary measures, a 2.4- to 2.6-degree Celsius rise is projected until the end of the century.
“Effectively, that means we’re failing, and we need to have a paradigm shift,” the premier said. 

Even at 1.5 degrees Celsius there were already impacts such as in increase in storms. Panton noted that 2020 was a record year for storms and 2005 was the record year for Atlantic hurricanes.

In fact, 10 of the 15 most active hurricane seasons in the last 150 years have occurred since the year 2000.

Panton said these weather events have major socio-economic impacts on countries in the region. Anything from agriculture to tourism was heavily impacted by storms as well as by the changes in the environment, such as sea-level rise, ocean acidification and higher ocean temperatures. Read the whole story here.

DoE opposes Little Cayman beach resort development

Cayman Compass
13 November 2021

The Department of Environment urged Cabinet against granting permission for an overwater bungalow development in the shallow waters of South Hole Sound in Little Cayman.

In a Coastal Works Review document dated 20 Aug., the DoE wrote that it “strongly recommends [the] application be refused on the principle of prohibiting the construction and establishment of habitable structures in a Marine Protected Area”.

The development in question is a 61-bedroom beach resort that is split between on-land and overwater units.

Plans for the resort reveal that the land-based elements would consist of six cluster buildings, each of which would include two single-storey, two-bedroom units, and one two-storey three-bedroom unit – for a total of 42 bedrooms within 18 units.

The overwater elements would include 19-single bedroom units, which run along a 450ft dock into the South Hole Sound.

“A project such as this would ordinarily trigger the requirement for screening to determine the need for an [Environmental Impact Assessment],” wrote the DoE in its coastal works review.

The document also stated that “it is the DoE’s strong view that it would not be beneficial or logical for the Applicant to do an EIA for a project which is fundamentally unacceptable due to its location and would be unacceptable regardless of the results of the EIA. Therefore, the Department is urging Cabinet to refuse permission for this coastal works application”.

The proposed development has been met by public opposition. Read the whole story here.

Fossil fuels lobbyists biggest group at COP26

Cayman News Service
8 November 2021

Activists protest against world leaders’ lack of action at COP26

More than 500 fossil fuel lobbyists and people supporting the the oil and gas giants have been granted access to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), according to research done by a collective of activist groups. Based on the list of declarations made by people attending the conference in Glasgow, the environmentalists found that individuals either directly affiliated with fossil fuel corporations, such as Shell, Gazprom and BP, or delegations that act on behalf of the fossil fuel industry were collectively the largest common group at the UN event.

Over 100 fossil fuel companies are represented and lobbyists dwarf the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s official indigenous constituency by around two to one.

Data analysed by Corporate Accountability, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), Glasgow Calls Out Polluters and Global Witness showed the scale of the access that corporate actors with a stake in the continued burning of fossil fuels have enjoyed at the critical talks.

The fossil fuel lobby is larger than the combined total of the eight delegations from the countries worst affected by climate change in the last two decades: Puerto Rico, Myanmar, Haiti, Philippines, Mozambique, Bahamas, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Many groups from around the world bearing the brunt of climate impacts have criticised the unequal access to COP26, citing barriers to participation, vaccine apartheid, costly travel restrictions and a lack of safeguarding guarantees. 

Murray Worthy, Gas Campaign Leader at Global Witness, said time was running out to avert climate disaster.

“The case for meaningful global action must not be diverted by a festival of polluters and their mouthpieces, who have no interest in seeing the changes we need to protect people and the planet,” he said. “The presence of hundreds of those being paid to push the toxic interests of polluting fossil fuel companies will only increase the scepticism of climate activists who see these talks as more evidence of global leaders’ dithering and delaying.” Read the whole story here.

COP26: World will try again to avert climate disaster

Reuters
1 November 2021

(Image credit: LifeWatch.eu)

The United Nations COP26 summit that starts in Glasgow this week has been billed as a make-or-break chance to save the planet from the most calamitous effects of climate change.

Delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, COP26 aims to keep alive a target of capping global warming at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels - the limit scientists say would avoid its most destructive consequences.

"We need to come out of Glasgow saying with credibility that we have kept 1.5 alive," Alok Sharma, COP26's president, said on Sunday as delegates began arriving in the Scottish city.

"We're already at global warming at 1.1 degrees above pre-industrial levels," he told Sky News television. "At 1.5 there are countries in the world that will be underwater, and that's why we need to get an agreement here on how we tackle climate change over the next decade."

Meeting the 1.5 C goal, agreed in Paris to much fanfare in 2015, will require a surge in political momentum and diplomatic heavy-lifting to make up for the insufficient action and empty pledges that have characterised much of global climate politics.

The conference needs to secure more ambitious pledges to further cut emissions, lock in billions in climate finance, and finish the rules to implement the Paris Agreement with the unanimous consent of the nearly 200 countries that signed it.

But there is huge work to be done. Read the whole story here.

Caribbean Leaders At COP26

News Americas Now
31 October 2021

Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness, r., tweeted this pic of him and , Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Philip Davis, c., and Prime Minister of St. Lucia
Phillip J Pierre l. on their way to Glasgow.

Caribbean leaders of vulnerable Small Island Developing States are among those attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

They include:

1: Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and of CARICOM, the Caribbean Community.

Also in attendance are:

2: Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness

3: Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley

4: Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley

5: Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Philip Davis

6: Prime Minister of St. Lucia Phillip J Pierre

7: President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali and

[8]: Premier and Minister for Sustainability and Climate Resiliency of the Cayman Islands, Wayne Panton.

The formal opening plenary of the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties, COP-26, also referred to as the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021 in Glasgow, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, kicked off on Sunday at the Scottish Event Campus.

A central issue is the provision of support to developing countries, especially in relation to the goal of mobilizing $100 billion annually by 2020. Financial support is crucial for all elements of the climate change regime, including mitigation, but also in terms of adaptation, capacity-building, technology transfer and several other elements. Many Parties, especially developing countries, feel that in order to advance towards full implementation of the Paris Agreement, previous commitments should first be honored.

On Sunday, #G20 leaders met and agreed action this decade towards keeping 1.5 in reach. They include an end to funding coal projects overseas and scaling up support for clean power.

COP26 is slated to run through November 12th. Read the whole story here.

Regulators seeking massive investment in renewable energy

Cayman Compass
25 October 2021

Cayman currently has one solar farm in Bodden Town.

A new auction scheme aims to generate massive investment in solar and wind power over the next decade to help kick-start Cayman’s transformation to renewable energy.

The islands’ national energy policy has set a target that 70% of the jurisdiction’s electricity supply will come from renewable sources by 2037; that figure currently stands at around 5% – or 10 megawatts.

Utilities regulator OfReg aims to add 25 MW of power from utility scale solar annually for the next three years. It is also aiming to add 30 MW of wind power by 2028.

OfReg said, in a statement Sunday, that it would commit to a “pipeline of auctions” under the Renewable Energy Auction Scheme, to allow businesses to “bid against each other to supply energy through long-term contracts at the lowest possible price”.

The determination follows over a year of discussions between the regulator and industry representatives over the best and fairest means to attract investment in renewable energy production. 

Malike Cummings, CEO of OfReg, said the auction framework had been successful in other jurisdictions and would provide a “transparent, competitive and robust” means to develop utility scale renewable energy projects without adding to the cost of consumers’ monthly power bills.

“The current Integrated Resource Plan projects 140 MW of utility-scale solar by the year 2030, and it is through the utilisation of tools such as the [auction scheme], we will be able to incentivise significant investments in renewable energy, that will drive economic development and job creation in the Cayman Islands.” Read the whole story here.

Minister to rethink NHDT project in mangroves

Cayman News Service
21 October 2021

Area of proposed NHDT development with red border

Local activists have persuaded Jay Ebanks, the minister responsible for housing, to rethink a proposal to build affordable homes in the South Sound basin that would entail the removal of mangroves.

Environmentalists have been sounding the alarm about the impact that private sector development is having in the area, and persuading government at least to change its plans will help in the goal to roll out a sustainable solution. However, despite the best efforts of residents and activists objecting to the surge of development, the mangrove wetlands of South Sound are still under increasing threat.

A planning proposal has been approved for the controversial Pro Plus application for a substantial apartment and town house development on a 10-acre site of mangrove habitat off Linford Pierson Highway. The application was heard by the Central Planning Authority on 29 September.

According to the minutes, the developer will be required to submit a storm-water management plan for the site, continuing the piecemeal approach to flooding in the area, which the Department of Environment has warned will make matters worse. The concerns of the objectors and the need to retain at least some wetlands on the site were largely dismissed, and the developer wasted no time to begin clearing mangroves at the site earlier this week.

Earlier this year Sustainable Cayman presented the ‘South Sound Mangrove Park & Tarpon Alley nature trail‘ proposal to Ebanks, the planning and infrastructure minister, to highlight development concerns and suggest some mitigating measures. Part of the proposal included reviewing plans to build affordable housing on 24 acres of land owned by the National Housing Development Trust (NHDT).

Last week the minister met with local environmental activists, who pressed home their concerns and the need to prepare for climate change. At that meeting, Ebanks said that, having considered their proposal and the threat that more development would pose, he was optimistic that NHDT project could be shelved with a view to acquiring more suitable land elsewhere for affordable housing in the capital. Read the whole story here.

DOE continues its appeals for help to save Cayman's coral reefs

Loop Cayman
19 October 2021

On October 19, 2021, the Cayman Islands Department of Environment (DOE) continued its appeal to the public on social media for help in relation to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD).

DOE said:

"Our coral reeds need YOUR help to slow the progression of #SCTLD and mitigate its damage. Let’s make sure that we aren’t contributing to the spread."

According to the updated map of SCTLD, the disease has almost entirely surrounded Grand Cayman.  This reflected in the areas marked in red in the map below.

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Damage (Damage shown in red)

DOE said that the disease “devastated reefs in Florida and around the Caribbean.”  Based on recent developments, Cayman is not exempt.

According to DOE:

"SCLTD affects 25+ species of hard coral and has rapid tissue mortality and colony death. Once a coral is infected by SCTLD and begins to lose live tissue, it is likely that the colony will die within weeks to months with a 60-100% mortality rate (Precht et al. 2016)." Read the whole story here.

UWI professor says a new climate reality is unfolding in the Caribbean

Loop Cayman
10 October 2021

Professor Michael Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology and Professor with specialisation in Environmental Physics, Caribbean Climate Variability, Climatology, Climate Change, who leads the Climate Studies Group at UWI's Mona campus has said that, with regards to the state of climate change in the Caribbean, the ‘unprecedented’ will be increasingly the norm, and this has profound social, economic, environmental, and health implications for a region where most people live on the coast.

In his speech at the “Conference on Climate Change and Health in Small Island Developing States: Focus on the Caribbean” held between October 5 – 8, 2021, Professor Taylor highlighted three action items – (1) Acknowledge climate change as a present concern, (2) Contemplate climate change as a growing concern, and (3) Tackle climate change as an urgent concern.

The Caribbean depends on a stable and familiar climate for its development and quality of life. When climate change introduces unfamiliar patterns, as it has done, we see profound impacts on the economy, tourism, agriculture, fisheries, energy systems, water supplies, and health.

Dr Taylor pointed out that we must acknowledge that we are already experiencing hotter drier weather overall, with more monster storms, inundations of rain, and rising seas. But, he said, we must contemplate that we are facing in the future even hotter and drier times, even higher sea levels that will erode our beaches and tourism, and even more extreme weather events.

The impacts on health are many and varied, from direct effects of heat-related illness, death, and heart failure; to injuries fatalities, and mental health impacts from hurricanes; to increased allergies and asthma, to more water borne diseases, to more vector-borne infections like dengue fever and Chikungunya as mosquitoes multiply faster. Beyond that, climate change is affecting determinants of health, such as water quality and food availability, as well as access to health services and facilities. The health sector will be stressed and will find it increasingly difficult to deliver healthcare. Read the whole story here.

Mangrove protection still limited by laws

Cayman News Service
9 October 2021

Mangroves (photo by Alvaro Serey)

Mangroves are still disappearing under the bulldozer, even after the National Conservation Council (NCC) adopted a Species Conservation Plan for Mangroves, because this protection is limited by the parameters of the conservation and planning laws, which do not prevent owners from developing their land in accordance with the planning laws.

Department of Environment (DoE) Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie told CNS that mangroves cannot be removed without planning permission and there are now stiff penalties when they are, but once a landowner gets the green light to build on or clear mangroves from their land, then all the DoE can do is implore and encourage the owners to save these plants.

Responding to public concerns that mangroves are still being cleared on an almost weekly basis, despite the roll out of the species protection plan earlier this year, the DoE director explained that the plan is “an instrument under the National Conservation Act”, so it must be compatible with the law. The conservation law operates by virtue of consultation with the planning authorities and the NCC, which has delegated the consultation function to the DoE, who are the technical experts.

This means that if someone owns a tract of mangroves and they are granted planning permission to remove them, regardless of any recommendations made by the DoE, the clearance of those mangrove is lawful and the conservation plan cannot protect them, Ebanks-Petrie explained.

“People misunderstand this. They think that the plan somehow allows the National Conservation Council to do more than the act can do,” she said.

In order to further protect mangroves, the DoE is first working to get permanent protection under the conservation law for those on crown land. But greater protection for mangroves on private land will require a change in the ethos surrounding planning to be “more in line with a sustainable development approach”, rather than the current situation where almost anything goes, she said.

Another provision is offsite mitigation, so that where development “is going to consume” large areas of mangroves, these can be replaced in another area that can be protected in perpetuity, Ebanks-Petrie said.
“The frustration that has been percolating in the wider community recently is where we have seen land parcels partially mangrove-covered cleared in sub-divisions and people are wondering why. Now partly that has been illegal clearing, as it is an offence now under the conservation law, but previously that was only an offence under the planning law,” she explained. Read the whole story here.

Cayman pledges $25 mil to new Commonwealth Climate Growth Fund

Loop Cayman
30 September 2021

Minister for Investment, Innovation and Social Development André Ebanks has announced that the Cayman Islands Government has committed to join global efforts to combat the increasing threat of global warming, as highlighted in the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, with the Establishment of the Commonwealth Climate Growth Fund (Cayman) LP ("the Fund").

Government’s commitment of seed capital of US $25 million for a 10 year period, drawn down in proportion to total capital, as investments are made in the first four to six years of operation, is a catalyst for the establishment of the Cayman-based Fund, which is sponsored by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC). 

“I am pleased to announce that Government is joining global efforts to combat climate change, specifically by committing seed capital to establish a new investment fund that will be focused on businesses and technologies that deliver climate mitigation and adaptation throughout the 54 member countries of the Commonwealth,” said Minister Ebanks

Following this seed investment, other local investors will be offered the opportunity to commit capital.

After raising initial committed capital locally, the Fund will be placed with a bank to raise the additional targeted capital. The target size of the Fund is US$1 billion; the Cayman Islands Government has made its investment contingent on the Fund reaching a closing of at least US$750 million. Read the whole story here.

CPA urged not to allow clearing of critical habitat

Cayman News Service
28 September 2021

Cayman Islands mangroves (file photo by Alvaro Serey)

The Central Planning Authority is being urged not to allow a developer to clear two separate plots of critical natural habitat, one in Breakers and the other in High Rock, East End, in the absence of any development plans, given the growing concern about the loss of primary forest and mangroves. An application going before the CPA tomorrow is seeking to clear several acres of dry forest and shrubland as well as seasonally flooded mangroves and woodland across the two pieces of land.

But no justification has been provided for the assault on the natural environment and no development has been proposed to provide a benefit to set against the loss of this untouched land. In its advice to the CPA the Department of Environment has outlined why the board should not allow the clearance.

“Speculative land clearing removes the option of retaining native vegetation outside the footprint of a prospective development. It also results in the fragmentation of undisturbed primary habitat in the surrounding area,” the experts at the DoE said in submissions to the CPA, which will be considering the applications on Wednesday. “It is important to note that fragmentation is continuing to affect primary habitat interrupting important ecological services, wildlife corridors and facilitating the introduction of invasive species on cleared land.” Read the whole story here.

Loggerheads break nest record

Cayman Compass
13 September 2021

Loggerhead hatchlings make a break for it on Little Cayman after emerging from their nest. – Photo: Joe Roche, DoE

While Cayman’s loggerhead turtle nesting season ended with a record-breaking 343 nests registered across all three islands, green sea turtles have not fared as well, with the Department of Environment noting a drop in the numbers for that species this year.

Out of a total of 474 nests for all types of turtles across all three islands, only 131 green sea turtle nests have been recorded for 2021 thus far, down from a record high of 353 for greens last year.

However, DoE Research Officer and Sea Turtle Programme Manager Jane Hardwick, in a recent interview with the Cayman Compass, said that dip in numbers is not a cause for concern.

High hopes for turtles“The loggerhead nesting season is about to finish and the green nesting season is still continuing. So far we are similar to our 2018 numbers, which was a low year, but we did expect that, because last year was such a big, big year for them and it’s not the same females that come back every year. So we’re not really worried that it’s a low year,” she said.

The bump in loggerhead nests, she said, marks a “really good season” for the species as this year’s high number of nests has surpassed the 2017 record of 332. Read the whole story here.

Island-wide clean-up planned for World Cleanup Day

Cayman News Service
30 August 2021

Plastic Free Cayman is coordinating an island-wide clean-up next month to mark World Cleanup Day and to address the build-up of plastic around our shoreline after the two recent tropical storms. The event will take place on Saturday 18 September at eight different locations and the organisation is encouraging people to join in the event.

“It has become increasingly clear just how important our beaches are to Cayman’s economy, our tourism industry and our cultural heritage,” said Claire Huges of PFC, as she urged people to join other volunteers and help restore our shores to their natural beauty.

Several community groups have already signed up to take part across all three islands to create Cayman’s largest beach clean effort to date. They include CayOcean, Protect Our Future, The Mangrove Rangers, Stoak’d Cayman, Lucky Slice, ALT, and Island Supply. 

Volunteers can register on the World Cleanup Day website or simply sign in upon their arrival to the clean-up.

Climate Change Effect On Overseas Territories

BerNews
15 August 2021

Photo courtesy of Cayman Compass

The Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership [MCCIP] released a ‘Report Card,’ which discusses the “key climate change effects on the coastal and marine environment around the Caribbean and Mid-Atlantic UK Overseas Territories.”

The report on the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership website said, “There are six UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean and Mid-Atlantic.

“They are diverse in size, economic and social development, and systems of governance and are small territories with populations ranging from approximately 5,000 people in Montserrat to 65,000 in both Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. The total population is estimated at 220,000 spread across the islands of Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos.

“The marine and coastal environment is an important natural resource to these UKOTs, with economies and people heavily dependent on the services they provide [e.g., fisheries and tourism]. Climate change is already affecting these islands, through loss of habitat and degradation of biodiversity, and the social and economic impacts caused by extreme weather events.”

“Sea-level rise and changes in the frequency and/or intensity of extreme weather events (heatwaves, extreme temperature and heavy precipitation, tropical cyclones, storm surges, and coastal, river and rain-induced flooding) constitute the biggest climate change risks to the islands. The economic and social impacts of extreme weather events on Caribbean and Mid-Atlantic UKOTs are of national significance. For example, Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 were some of the most intense storms recorded in the region and caused widespread devastation across the UKOTs of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“In the marine environment, sea temperature rise is a major threat to habitats and species, most notably when marine heatwaves hit coral reefs causing bleaching and impacting on the ecosystem condition and function of the area. Some marine species have shifted their geographic ranges, seasonal activities, migration patterns, abundances and interactions, with important consequences for fisheries and the provision of other ecosystem services. As temperatures continue to rise, further major impacts on marine ecosystems are to be expected in the future. Read the whole story here.

5 key warnings for Cayman from the UN’s climate change report

Cayman Compass
13 August 2021

Recent erosion on Seven Mile Beach could be a sign of things to come. - Photo: James Whittaker

Described as a ‘code red’ for humanity, the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change spells out a stark warning over the future of the planet.

The United Nations report demonstrates unequivocally that climate change is man-made and that some of the impacts, including sea-level rise, are unavoidable. There are a number of ‘possible futures’ and the world’s developed nations have a rapidly closing window of opportunity to radically reduce fossil-fuel emissions and prevent the most severe consequences.

Here we look at five key areas with the most direct influence on Cayman.

1. Rising seas a certainty

Continued sea-level rise is an irreversible consequence of climate change that is “locked-in” for centuries, the report concludes.
While there is scope to slow the pace at which that happens, the window of opportunity to alter that trajectory has passed. 

Read the whole story here.

Watch: Cayman coast guard & civilians rescue endangered turtle

Loop Cayman
12 August 2021

On August 10, two members of the public who happened to be in the vicinity of Booby Quay, a sheltered mangrove island in North Side Cayman, spotted a distressed Hawksbill turtle entangled in a turtle net that was attached to two buoys.

The individuals notified the Cayman Islands Coast Guard  (CICG) of the sighting, providing details on the location of the distressed turtle and CICG officers were able to locate and respond, disentangling the terrified creature from the net, which appeared to have been designed and set specifically to entrap turtles.

The turtle was subsequently released and no visible injuries were observed, and the net and buoys were retrieved from the water. 

The would-be poachers who set up the trap were not caught, but had they been, they would have been liable on conviction to a fine of CI$500,000 (US$600,371) or four years in prison or both, coupled with the forfeiture of their vessel and equipment.

Booby Quay, where the Hawksbill turtle was spotted, is a designated Environmental Zone which strictly prohibits the taking of any marine life, and according to the National Conservation Act, the taking of any turtle from Cayman waters, the taking of any specimen from protected areas and the importing of unsanctioned specimens into the Cayman Islands is strictly prohibited. Watch the video and read the whole story here.

UN sounds ‘deafening’ warning on climate change

Cayman Compass
9 August 2021

Smoke and steam billows from Belchatow Power Station, Europe's largest coal-fired power plant operated by PGE Group, near Belchatow, Poland November 28, 2018. - REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo

The United Nations panel on climate change told the world on Monday that global warming was dangerously close to being out of control – and that humans were “unequivocally” to blame.

Already, greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere are high enough to guarantee climate disruption for decades if not centuries, the report from the scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned...

...Drawing on more than 14,000 scientific studies, the IPCC report gives the most comprehensive and detailed picture yet of how climate change is altering the natural world – and what could still be ahead.

Unless immediate, rapid and large-scale action is taken to reduce emissions, the report says, the average global temperature is likely to reach or cross the 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming threshold within 20 years.

The pledges to cut emissions made so far are nowhere near enough to start reducing level of greenhouse gases – mostly carbon dioxide (CO2) from burning fossil fuels – accumulated in the atmosphere..Read the whole story here.

First comprehensive assessment of climate change impacts on coasts and seas across the UK Overseas Territories

Phys.org
2 August 2021

Reef structural complexity provides habitat for other species such as fish and invertebrates on healthy reefs Credit: Prof John Turner

Professor John Turner and Dr. Gareth Williams of the School of Ocean Sciences were co-authors of the Indian Ocean Region Assessment which highlighted four priorities, which are the changes in coral species; changes to coral reef habitats; changes to reef islands and sandy beaches and the impacts on the provision of natural coastal protection and island resilience to sea-level rise.

Over 60 scientists and managers working with all 14 UK Overseas Territories undertook similar regional reviews, which include the Polar Territories (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (and the British Antarctic Territory); Territories in the South Atlantic (Ascension Island, Falkland Islands, Tristan da Cunha and St Helena Island); Caribbean & Mid Atlantic (Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos); Mediterranean (Gibraltar and Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus) and the Pitcairn Islands in the Pacific.

Although most territory islands are small, the UK has the fifth largest total area of ocean, and the territories contain 94% of the UK's biodiversity. The UK Government has committed to establishing a "Blue Belt' of over 4 million square kilometers of marine protected areas. Read the whole story here.

Fears about 7MB rise as more beach erodes

Cayman News Service
2 August 2021

Ken Dart's house on Seven Mile Beach (from social media)

The worsening erosion of the southern end of Seven Mile Beach is fuelling further public concern about the future of Cayman’s world famous beach and this critical tourism attraction. Earlier worries about the erosion caused by years of coastal development too close to the water, especially when sea levels are rising due to climate change, are turning to fear as the lost beach has left the sea lapping at the foundations of some properties.

The Marriott resort, several condo complexes and a number of private homes, including developer Ken Dart’s house, have now lost their beach as the once seasonal erosion appears to be permanent and the structures on their property are now also facing inundation.

Efforts by condo complex Regal Beach to try to recover its beach and protect the development has added to the public fears, which are now dominating Cayman’s local social media pages, that these efforts will make things worse and that the Cayman Islands authorities have waited too long to put a stop to the development that has caused the problem.

Over this weekend a number of local people posted footage of the situation on the stretch of what was once luxurious soft white sandy beach between Dart’s private home and the former Treasure Island resort.

Local businessman Robert Baraud posted seven minutes of footage that he recorded as he rode along the stretch on a Jet Ski documenting the extent of the beach loss and the depth of the water on what was sandy beach just a few years ago. The footage shows the alarming level of erosion and how serious the situation now is along a mile-long stretch of the coastline that until about three years ago was a full beach.

Baraud told us that he had filmed the strip of beach at the weekend for his own records. But given what he saw, he decided to post the footage on social media and he has had an overwhelming response, with hundreds of people sharing and re-posting the seven minute video.

“This is really bad for the tourist sector but everyone is impacted by this,” Baraud told CNS, as he asked what the community and the government can do about it. “We need to find a way to replenish the beach somehow,” he said, noting the memories people have of Seven Mile Beach and its fundamental importance to the local heritage. Read the whole story here.

Plans for climate change resilience emerge in SPS

Cayman News Service
28 July 2021

Premier Wayne Panton addresses Parliament

With Premier Wayne Panton at the helm of the PACT Government, Cayman’s environmental and conservation activists will be hoping to see concrete policies being rolled out as soon as possible to begin reversing the trend of over-development and building resilience to the impending impacts of climate change. In his closing remarks after presenting the Strategic Policy Statement earlier this month, Panton set out a number of proposals that could begin to make a fundamental difference regarding what he said were the historic failures of previous governments that “have been poor guardians of the natural wonders” in Cayman.

Panton’s commitment to building climate change resilience comes against a backdrop of fires and floods around the world and as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is working on a comprehensive assessment on the state of global heating. Over the next two weeks the panel will produce a report that experts said should be a “wake-up call” to world governments. The summary is expected to play an important role in guiding global leaders as the UK hosts COP26 in Glasgow in November to deal with critical climate questions.

While Cayman’s contribution to global emissions is negligible, the impact on these islands will be significant, especially with regards to rising sea levels and coastal erosion.

The premier said the PACT government will establish a sustainability and climate change task force, update and adopt the 2011 climate change policy, ensure that climate change policies are included in development laws, create a climate change trust to fund climate change policy, change the planning fee structure, review and revise the national development plan and amend existing laws to regulate construction in the dynamic beach zone.

“We turned a blind eye to over-development, over-fishing, over-population and kept aiming for more, more, more. More people. More buildings. More cars,” he said as he promised to guide the Cayman Islands through a sea change on environmental and climate issues.

The government is committing to raising duty on items that are not environmentally friendly, enacting stiffer fines and penalties for environmental violations and limit the sale of crown lands.

“We will also re-plant buffer zones that have been damaged and ensure the protection of existing mangroves, which act as natural carbon sinks,” the premier said. “To protect against future environmental destruction, we will continue the purchase of land, especially beach lands, for public usage and the benefit of generations of Caymanians to come.”

During his address Panton signalled a very different approach to development and called out the opposition leader for his comments during the SPS response. He accused Roy McTaggart of lecturing him on the idea that there is not a binary choice between development and protection of the environment.

“I have always maintained that we support sustainable development, and that must at its core mean that you find the right balance in how you develop and even where you develop… The perception of his government is that their approach was supporting development at any cost; the cruise port being one such example,” he added.

Controlling development is not the only area that the government plans to address. Panton also outlined policies to tackle pollution and roll out more renewable energy solutions with additional funding.

“This includes funding for solar and other renewable energies, incorporating the provision of micro loans to assist with conversion to renewable energy,” he said, adding that the change to planning fees would also pave the way for smaller, more energy efficient homes. He said the new government would increase the number of solar farms through public-private partnership and upgrade government facilities to use renewable energy. Read the whole story here.

Premier: Development plan needs to be national

Cayman News Service
12 July 2021

The FIN development project (file photo)

The previous government’s piecemeal approach to the national development plan could produce inconsistencies in the development of Cayman going forward, according to Premier Wayne Panton. He told CNS that he wants to take a closer look at how PlanCayman has been rolled out with a view to taking a national approach to the development plan rather than area by area. Panton said he was aware of concerns that PlanCayman consultation had been weighted towards developers, and given his government’s focus on sustainability and climate resilience, he said he wanted to see a more balanced approach.

Having created the Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency (MSCR), Panton said his portfolio includes the responsibility for revising the national development plan. Speaking at the Chamber of Commerce Legislative Lunch last week, Panton told the audience that the plan was long overdue and that it will be one of the key areas of focus for the PACT administration.

“If we are to make progress in achieving long-term development goals, we must address sustainable development. Climate change is not a standalone issue and its inherent risks must be integrated into all aspects of development planning,” he said, adding that tackling sustainable development is the only real pathway to increased long-term prosperity. “We need to Grow Green.”

After his speech, Panton told CNS that the development plan needs to be a nationwide project to ensure consistency in the more resilient and sustainable development he wants to see in future. “We can re-imagine how we do things and bring a more balanced approach,” he said. Read the whole story here.

Ex McAlpine boss to chair CPA

Cayman News Service
1 July 2021

Ian Pairaudeau

Ian Pairaudeau, the former managing director of McAlpine and currently a construction consultant, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Central Planning Authority. The board’s new members were published on the government gazette Wednesday, revealing an entirely new line-up. The one board that the whole community was expecting to be replaced since the PACT Government came into office includes four women but almost no one overtly from the conservation community. The new members have development, building, insurance, business, planning, real estate and architectural experience but there is no direct appointment from the National Trust or any of Cayman’s green organisations.

The new deputy chairman is Handel Whittaker, the former owner of the much loved Calico Jack’s beach bar, who stirred up controversy in West Bay in 2018 when he sought permission to dredge the seabed in Barkers.

The new members will take their seats from 2 July and they are scheduled to hold their first meeting on 7 July. There is a packed agenda with a diverse set of applications, including the Cayman Islands Football Association’s new spotlights that face objection from neighbours and a controversial application to turn an area of mangrove in South Sound into a construction storage site, which the Department of Environment is urging the CPA not to approve.

Cayman’s runaway development, especially the impact of coastal development, was a key issue on the election campaign trail, and Premier Wayne Panton has placed climate resiliency at the centre of his policy agenda. While the planning law itself and the regulations will need to be changed to really address the country’s excess development, the CPA plays in significant role in whether or not damaging projects get the green light, especially when it comes to the waiving of regulations.

It is not yet clear who on the CPA will reflect Panton’s promised agenda in this line-up of people who have made or still make their living largely in areas directly or indirectly related to the process of development, although less directly conflicted than the last board. It also remains to be seen how much the new planning minister, Jay Ebanks, who was also linked directly to the development and construction sector in his pre-political life, will support Panton’s efforts to green the economy and put climate resilience at the centre of future policy. Read the whole story here.

Panton: ‘Sustainability is everybody’s business’

Panton: ‘Sustainability is everybody’s business’

Cayman Eco is a non-profit group based in the Cayman Islands whose mission is to educate & motivate people of all ages to become more environmentally conscious.

Thanks to theNational Trust for the Cayman Islands for their continued support!

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