LOCAL NEWS...

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.

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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