LOCAL NEWS...

Cruise line’s ‘ghost ship’ raises new concerns

Cayman News Service
15 January 2020

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas

Royal Caribbean appears to have linked the lack of cruise berthing facilities in the Cayman Islands to problems with its Western Caribbean itinerary. But more questions have been raised about this justification for the Cayman government’s cruise port project after news reports in Jamaica revealed that the cruise line is paying fees to that country’s tourism ministry for ‘ghost’ Oasis-class ships that are no longer visiting Jamaica.

In a bizarre turn of events, Royal Caribbean is paying head taxes to Jamaica for ships that have stopped calling on Falmouth, the country’s newest and most controversial cruise port, based on a contractual agreement when the facility was built. The revelations emerged during a spat between Jamaica’s government and opposition over a serious decline in cruise passenger numbers, even though the island has several cruise berthing facilities.

Jamaica’s tourism minister, Edmund Bartlett, told the media there that after the previous government made an agreement with Royal Caribbean in 2015, visits by the mega vessels were reduced. However, he said this had not impacted government revenue because the Port Authority of Jamaica was still collecting the head tax as though the ships had arrived. Nevertheless, he accepted that it had greatly reduced the opportunity for Jamaicans to benefit from the port.

It is understood that Royal Caribbean is struggling to sell Western Caribbean cruises on Oasis-class ships without Grand Cayman on the itinerary, and has therefore diverted them to the Eastern Caribbean. While the situation is of the cruise company’s own making, given its decision not to tender the larger ships, it seems to be a major reason for the cruise line to pressure the Cayman government to build the cruise dock. Read the whole story here.

Carnival still polluting, US court finds

Cayman News Service
10 January 2020

Carnival Freedom belching plumes of black smoke

A US court has found more environmental violations by Carnival Corporation, despite it being on probation for pollution felonies and at risk of more multi-million dollar fines. Representatives for Carnival, which is one of government’s partners on the controversial cruise berthing project here, were in court Wednesday for a judge to assess the progress it is making on the issue. But instead she heard that Carnival has burned unfiltered heavy fuel oil in protected areas, dumped sewage, chemicals, food waste, gray water, oil and garbage into the sea.

Although the Cayman Islands government has been asked to justify working with a cruise partner with such a terrible environmental record, the premier recently dismissed these concerns as ridiculous and refused to answer.

But the concerns are very real.

Between July and October last year the company’s fleet made little progress towards compliance on the orders imposed by the court during the current five year probation period. While company executives tried to assure US District Judge Patricia Seitz that they were moving forward, she pressed Carnival’s chairman Micky Arison about what he is actually doing to clean up the company’s performance.

“I want to give you the necessary impetus to personally take charge and be committed,” Seitz told Arison, according to reports in the US media about the court proceedings. “I want you to become an environmentalist, I guess.” Read the whole story here.

Family donates to help buy mangrove land

Cayman Compass
9 January 2020

Karen and Chris Luijten with their daughters. Photo by: Chris Luijten

Cayman residents Chris and Karen Luijten have donated $75,000 to purchase an area of mangroves to help offset carbon dioxide emissions created by Protect Our Future students’ travel to Spain last month.

Olivia Zimmer, Connor Childs and Steff Mcdermot attended the United Nations COP 25 Climate Conference in Madrid to represent Cayman on the climate-change front. Zimmer and Childs had attended Montessori By The Sea, which the Luijten children currently attend.

The Luijtens said hearing about what the former Montessori students were doing motivated them to pledge the money. “This inspiration behind this pledge comes from the children,” Chris Luijten said.

The Luijten’s money was donated through Island Offsets, a National Trust for the Cayman Islands programme, in partnership with GreenTech Environmental, which focusses on reducing the impact of carbon footprints on the planet through local projects. Read the whole story here.

Grouper conservation an official success

Cayman News Service
8 January 2020

Nassau grouper spawning
(Photo courtesy Grouper Moon Project)

Successful conservation efforts in the Cayman Islands to protect the now critically endangered Nassau grouper have been documented in an academic report, published this week, that underscores how important marine protection can be. The Grouper Moon Project, a joint effort by the Department of Environment and US-based scientists at the aggregate site off Little Cayman, has documented how grouper numbers have recovered and set a scientific precedent to protect large-bodied fish that form spawning aggregations, making them vulnerable to over-fishing.

The research published in PNAS covers work conducted in Cayman waters over 15 years aimed at recovering the collapsed stocks of Nassau grouper. The data shows that the grouper population on Little Cayman has more than tripled in response to the conservation, which saw the former Marine Protection Board place restrictions on taking grouper, seasonal closures and bans on fishing at the hole.

The authors of the important peer-reviewed work said that the Nassau grouper “have undergone a remarkable recovery”, which is due to the implementation of deliberate “science-based conservation strategies”. The scientists said, “Little Cayman is now home to the largest remaining identified Nassau grouper aggregation anywhere in the world." Read the whole story here.

Landfill EIA planned for early 2020

Cayman Compass
5 January 2020

An environmental impact assessment of the George Town landfill is expected to be carried out early this year. – Photo: Taneos Ramsay

An environmental impact assessment into the proposed facilities and programmes for the George Town landfill is expected to begin early this year.

The EIA will be carried out by Decco Consortium, a Dart-owned entity, which was awarded the contract to design, build and maintain the new facility as part of the Cayman’s Integrated Solid Waste Management System.

On Friday, Hannah Reid, a spokesperson for Dart, said the EIA’s scope will “consider the design and impact of the suggested facilities, which include a waste-to-energy facility, a materials recycling facility, green waste facility, a household waste recycling centre and a lined landfill for residual waste in Grand Cayman”. Read the whole story here.

Assessing Cayman's contribution to global carbon emissions post COP25

Loop Cayman
3 January 2020

There appears to be a general consensus that COP25 did not meet expectations. According to António Guterrez, Secretary-General of the United Nations, “The international community lost an important opportunity to show increased ambition on mitigation, adaptation & finance to tackle the climate crisis.” (Twitter)

On virtually each agenda item, a few large and powerful countries with vested interests in coal, oil and gas, selfishly and stubbornly blocked progress.

In the meantime, the past five years have been the hottest in history. In Greenland, the ice is melting at a rate that scientists predicted would not have happened until 2070. Forest fires have become commonplace. Satellite radar measurements reveal an accelerating sea level rise of 3 inches from 1993 to 2017, which is a trend of roughly 12 inches per century. We are more at risk of devastating extreme weather events than ever in our history.  The list goes on and on…

And the economic implications are staggering.

According to Dr. John Fletcher former Minister of Sustainability in Saint Lucia, “If sea levels rise by one metre, the Caribbean will lose 1,300 square kilometres of its land space (equivalent to Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Anguilla), it will displace 110,000 people, destroy 149 tourist resorts, most of which are on the coast of our islands, five powerplants, 21 airports in the CARICOM region, and 567 square kilometres of roads... A two-metre rise will result in the loss of 3,000 square kilometres of landmass, 31 airports, 233 resorts and will displace 260,000 residents.” Read the whole story here.

2019 in the top three hottest years on record

Cayman News Service
2 January 2020

With the dawn of a new decade, scientists around the world are pointed to the one we just left behind as the hottest in history, and 2019 is likely to be the second or third hottest year on record. In Australia, which is literally still on fire, 2019 was the hottest and driest year on record there, and in Russia, where they were forced to import snow for the Christmas festivities, people also experienced the hottest year since records began in 1879.

When the figures are in from around the world in the coming days, it is likely to reveal that for many countries 2019 will be one of the top three hottest and driest years since official weather records were created.

Despite the growing awareness of climate change and an increasing willingness of people to believe the scientists as they begin to experience for themselves the impact of the evident change in the global climate, the world is still not doing anywhere near enough to reverse the situation. And instead of being on track to reduce global CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 to slow temperature rise, to the United Nations said last month that emissions are set to increase by another half percent. Read the whole story here.


Year in Review: Storm over port development dominated 2019

Cayman Compass
30 December 2019

An architect's impression of how the new port could look.

No story dominated the national conversation in 2019 more than the ongoing debate over plans for new cruise and cargo piers for George Town Harbour.

As the year started, campaigners were in the midst of gathering signatures for a petition to force a people-initiated referendum on the project.

At the time, there were outstanding questions over the cost and design of the piers, among other concerns, but few in power seemed to believe the protesters would get the required numbers to force a public vote.

But, door by door, signature by signature, they crept towards their target of 5,292 names – 25% of the electorate. Read the whole story here.


Climate change costing $billions, charity reports

Cayman News Service
27 December 2019

Fires devastated parts of Australia in 2019

Fifteen of the natural disasters and extreme weather events during 2019 that resulted in damages of more than $1 billion were fuelled by climate change, Christian Aid found in a new report released Friday. These disasters killed and injured thousands of people around the world and ranged in damage costs from over one to 25 billion dollars. Counting the Cost 2019: a year of climate breakdown identifies 15 of the most destructive droughts, floods, fires, typhoons and cyclones last year.

However, the authors of the report believe their findings are likely to have underestimated the true costs as in some cases they include only insured losses and do not take into account the costs of lost productivity and uninsured losses. In addition, the climate fuelled wildfires in Australia were not included because figures on how much the ongoing fires are costing the country have not yet been collated.

The most costly disaster identified in the report was wildfire damage in California, amounting to around $25 billion, followed by Typhoon Hagibis in Japan, which is estimated to have cost over $15 billion, and floods in the American Midwest and China, both of which exceeded $12 billion in damages. The events with the greatest loss of life were floods in Northern India, which killed 1,900, and Cyclone Idai, which killed 1,300 in Southern Africa.

The key message in the report is that these billion-dollar disasters are linked with human-caused climate change. In some cases scientific studies have shown that a particular event was more likely or stronger because of the changing climate and shifts in weather patterns. 

While the report focuses on the financial cost of extreme weather events driven by climate change in many developing countries, the human cost of climate change to vulnerable communities is even higher than the financial cost, according to the charity which focuses on poverty. It further noted that there are many slow-onset droughts, weather change and sea encroachment that are also progressively and devastatingly impacting millions of people worldwide. Read the whole story here.

Dominica accelerates efforts to combat climate change

Loop
27 December 2019

Dominicans are being encouraged to join their government in its efforts to combat climate change.

Minister of the Environment, Rural Modernisation and Kalinago Upliftment, Cozier Frederick, issued a public appeal, urging citizens to participate in the Million Tree Campaign.

The reforestation project was first launched by his predecessor, Joseph Isaac in 2018. The aim of the project was to have one million trees planted by the end of 2019.With the end of the year now looming, Minister Frederick said “We are encouraging every Dominican to join in the movement to plant trees at your homes, at your schools, close to your places of worship, your workplace and within your communities.”

Speaking at the official reopening of Peebles Park in Roseau, he said the United Nations Environment Programme has pledged its support for the ongoing initiative.

The Ministry of the Environment has also installed over sixty planters in the Roseau/Portsmouth area as part of the national reforestation and beautification project. Read the whole story here.


New Camana Bay development projects approved

Loop
23 December 2019

Dart has received planning approval for the development of a new five-storey commercial office building and a 10-storey residential apartment building in Camana Bay.

At its meeting on December 18, 2019, the Central Planning Authority (CPA) approved applications by Dart for the two projects.

With Dart’s most recent projects – the Cayman International School (CIS) Early Childhood Centre, CIS High School expansion, and new Foster’s flagship store – employing over 100 local contractors and more than 700 individual employees, Dart anticipates that the new developments will generate significant employment opportunities for local contractors.

Preliminary works, permitted under the Camana Bay subdivision, are already underway at both sites. Construction for both projects will begin in January 2020, with the new commercial office building expected to be completed by 2021 and the residential building by 2022. Read the whole story here.


CUC using art to revolutionise renewable energy

Cayman Compass
16 December 2019

Caribbean Utilities Company has installed this SmartFlower 2.5-kilowatt system at the roundabout by Kings Sports Centre.

The moving sculpture is intended to encourage discussion about electricity in Cayman, according to CUC. SmartFlower opens in the morning, tracks the sun and closes at sunset, when it automatically folds up and cleans itself.

In addition to its aesthetic quality, Pat Bynoe-Clarke, CUC manager of corporate communications, explained the device has the benefit of offsetting the cost of  electricity used at the roundabout and offers a unique point of interest along with the local flora and fauna on display.

“CUC is pleased to be able to launch this solar flower, one of a kind in the Caribbean,” Bynoe-Clarke said. “The company continues to work with the regulator (OfReg) to bring other renewable energy options to the Grand Cayman market and we are looking forward to a positive outcome from our discussions.” Read the whole story here.

How much tourism is too much for a small island?

Cayman Compass
11 December 2019

Seven Mile Beach is always likely to be the key attraction for tourists in Cayman. But overcrowding is a growing concern for visitors.

Cayman’s tourism product provides plenty to boast about: world-renowned diving, the pristine beauty of Seven Mile Beach, a reputation for culinary excellence.

The islands’ strengths are what attracted a record number of visitors in 2018 – nearly 2.4 million – and pushed hotel room rates to the highest in the region.

Those same strengths are also driving anxiety in the hospitality sector, as questions loom about infrastructure, development and preserving what makes Cayman unique.

Handel Whittaker, owner of popular beach bar Calico Jack’s, refers to the refrain: ‘Kill not the goose that lays the golden egg’ – a warning against short-sighted action at the expense of long-term security.

“Being in this business as long as I have and being a local Caymanian, I’ve seen so many drastic changes,” Whittaker says.

“I think if we develop our product cautiously, we will be in great shape. If we continue to rush and build, build, build, I think people will find elsewhere to go. No one wants that to happen.” Read the whole story here.

Court to hear beach access case

Cayman News Service
11 December 2019

Beach access sign on Grand Cayman

A group of ladies from West Bay who have been quietly but persistently fighting for government to register hundreds of access points and historic rights of way to the beach have finally been given a date for their case to be considered. On 9 January the Concerned Citizens Group, which has sought a judicial review, will have the chance to persuade a judge that the government’s refusal to register the beach access points is unlawful.

The increasingly limited access to the beach for the wider public has been an issue for many years. But more recently, with the rapid acceleration of development on beachfront land, decisions by the Central Planning Authority and the government’s deals with major developers, in particular the Dart Group, the problem has been compounded.

In all of the cases where the group is pursuing the registration of the rights of way, they have been used for at least twenty years and in some cases much longer. But the battle to get the public pathways recognised, led largely by Alice Mae Coe, Ezmie Smith and Annie Multon, all from West Bay, has gone on for fifteen years and in that time many have been encroached and blocked. Read the whole story here.


Stingray City licences capped

Cayman Compass
8 December 2019

The Department of Environment will not be issuing any new licences for Stingray City.This came as Environment Minister Dwayne Seymour announced a temporary moratorium on licences, Thursday evening in the Legislative Assembly.

He said the action follows “numerous observations and complaints” made to the Department of Environment and the Ministry of Tourism.

The freeze effectively caps the total number of licensed operators at the popular Wildlife Interaction Zone at 209, the current number of licencees.

Seymour said the decision to institute the freeze was taken after careful consideration and investigation.

“The ministry knows the efforts that [have] been made by the DoE and the current constraints it has on them, so we have teamed up with the Coast Guard attachment to assist us in upholding this moratorium and capping policy,” Seymour told the House.

Opposition Leader Arden McLean said the issue was one of lack of enforcement, since there are rules in place for the operation of the WIZ. Read the whole story here.

DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT: a delicate dance

Caymanian Times
4 December 2019

The word ‘sustainability’, like the phrase ‘climate change’ tends to get so overused that one could be justified in wondering if, like the concerns over the environment, it too faces a threat of extinction.

However, with ‘sustainability’ factored into almost every facet of modern life, permanent, irreversible damage, if not an extinction-level threat, is indeed a clear, present and long term danger.

And that goes hand-in-glove with concerns about climate change.

Conventional wisdom suggests a balance between development and preserving the environment. It’s a worthy ideal.

If there’s no environment, there’s no development; neither the built environment or the more crucial human development.

The simple point is this; the price of development should not be the sacrifice of the environment.

Development and the environment have become the defining issues of our time.

How much development is enough development, and at what point is development determined to have reached its saturation point?

The challenge for governments and their electorate the world over is in making that determination…and distinction.

In this context the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) listed by the United Nations are crucial.

From poverty to partnerships they all revolve around a central theme; the environment.

In the pursuit of development, especially towards acceptable and affordable standards of living, external factors are inescapable.

This is particularly notable in small societies exposed and dependent on the outside world for trade, specific skills and expertise, investment and other forms of funding. Read the whole story here.

Lobster catchers urged to stick to quotas

Cayman News Service
1 December 2019

Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Photo courtesy DoE)

With the opening of the lobster season, the Department of Environment is urging the public not to exceed the daily catch limits or take what is still a threatened species from protected areas. The season lasts three months, from 1 December until 29 February, but there are strict rules about how many lobsters, and of what size, can be taken.
Lobster may only be taken from outside marine protected areas and only spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) can be caught. Any lobster taken must have a minimum tail length of six inches and fisherfolk are limited to three spiny lobster per person per day, or six per boat per day, whichever is less.
Anyone who takes, purchases, receives or offers for sale, exchange or donation more than three lobsters per day from Cayman Islands waters commits an offence under the National Conservation Law, the DoE remineded everyone.
Visit the DoE website for more information on lobster season and other marine conservation measures.


Nat’l Trust files for judicial review over port vote

Cayman Compass
25 November 2019

Image Credit: IRG Cayman

The National Trust for the Cayman Islands has confirmed it has filed for judicial review of government’s decision to proceed with a referendum on the $200 million port project before an updated environmental impact assessment is completed.

In a statement issued late Monday evening, the Trust said it was not satisfied with government’s response to the legal letter it issued two weeks ago outlining its concerns about the project and its environmental impact.

The Trust pointed out that it delivered in confidence a letter to members of the Cayman Islands government expressing its concern with the project’s potential impacts on sites of environmental and historical significance, and again calling for updated information to be released to the general public prior to the referendum.

“The National Trust values the close working relationship it has with the Cayman Islands Government and therefore does not take this decision lightly,” the statement said.

It said it has not taken a stance in favour of or against the port project and believes that there is currently insufficient information to do so.

“The National Trust’s request is that prior to proceeding, further studies such as an updated Environmental Impact Assessment be performed, and the resulting information made available to the general public before the referendum is held,” it said in the statement. Read the whole story here.

CCMI: No evidence scientists can recreate a reef

Cayman Compass
20 November 2019

Scientists are not yet capable of regenerating complex reef systems like those found in the footprint of the pier project, according to CCMI director Carrie Manfrino. – Photo: Courtney Platt

By Carrie ManfrinoDirector, CCMI

Research aimed at improving the survival of corals has exploded in the last five years especially because it is widely accepted that corals are among the most threatened animals on Earth.

The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that one-fifth of reefs worldwide are dead, and that 90% may disappear completely within 30 years. Coral reefs in many locations are degraded and a wide variety of restoration approaches have emerged.

Research labs, including our own at the Central Caribbean Marine Institute, have made great progress in improving the ‘fitness’ of corals so they are more resilient. While there has been enormous progress, the scientific knowledge needed to regrow a coral reef is still is in its infancy.

The greatest challenge will be finding suitable habitats and environmental conditions for restoration to succeed. The survival of corals restored and relocated can vary from 80% success to 100% mortality. 

Concern over port claims

We are especially concerned about the claims by Verdant Isle that Dr. David Vaughan can regrow new reefs in Cayman as a tradeoff to destroying the reefs in our harbour. The VIPP team report that the micro-fragmenting technique in the Florida Keys has had success in the labs growing 50% of Caribbean coral species.

They have successfully grown a total of only five large individual (metre-scale) mound corals. Scientists are not yet capable of regenerating a complex reef. No project anywhere in the world has been able to replicate, restore or transplant a coral reef system with the same biodiversity of a natural reef. Read the whole story here.

The issue explained: Report outlines likely environmental impacts of port

Cayman Compass
17 November 2019

The loss of the scenic harbour view was identified by the consulants as an unquantifiable impact. - Photo: Stephen Clarke

Many of the anticipated environmental impacts of the cruise berthing project were laid out following an exhaustive investigation in 2014 and 2015.

The environmental impact assessment, led by coastal engineering firm Baird and Associates, examined everything from the impact on coral reefs in George Town Harbour to the potential for erosion on Seven Mile Beach.

We combed through their final report and the report of the Environmental Assessment Board, led by Department of Environment Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie, to answer some of the key questions on the likely environmental consequences of the project.

What is the expected impact on coral reefs in the harbour?

The reports conclude that the project will involve the removal of coral habitat that has “significant economic and ecological value”.

Critically endangered staghorn coral is found within the project footprint and critically endangered elkhorn coral is found on the adjacent reefs.

The Environmental Assessment Board’s report indicated that the project would involve the “irreversible removal” of 15 acres of coral reef habitat.

The project has since undergone design changes, moving the piers into deeper water to reduce that impact. The extent of that reduction has not yet been assessed by the environmental board.

The contractors concede that the development will still result in the removal of at least 10 acres of reef habitat.

The environmental board describes these reefs as “topographically complex” formations that converge in a network of tunnels that form a complex habitat supporting a diversity of species.

The likely loss of coral reef habitat was graded as the highest possible tier of negative impact -E in Baird’s rating system. With a coral relocation plan, this could be upgraded to a -D, still considered a significant negative impact, according to the consultants. Read the whole story here.

Annual Turtle Release a Success

Caymanian Times
14 November 2019

Continuing a tradition that started decades ago, the Cayman Turtle Centre, held its annual turtle release on Sunday, November 10th. It was a fun, family-friendly event with meaning. Everyone there seemed to have great time and there were moments of inspiration and awe all wrapped up in the event.

This event is a part of the Pirates Week schedule, as it has been for quite some years now, and so it provided a nice respite from the revelry and negative connotations of the main festival theme. This event was solely about the turtles, the people who care for them, and the persons who were fortunate enough to have earned the chance to name and release one of the twenty yearling turtles. Read the whole story here.

Gov’t and bidders to meet public on port

Cayman News Service
11 November 2019

Over three months after announcing a consortium involving cruise lines, a marine engineering firm and a local contractor had been selected as the preferred bidder on the cruise port project, the tourism ministry and those bidders will all come face to face with the public.

Government will be hosting a series of public meetings in partnership with the group known as Verdant Isle Port Partners, giving people a chance to quiz all those involved before the referendum on the project next month.

Eight meetings are planned to take place across the island, starting on Tuesday, 12 November, at 7pm at the Mary Miller Hall, where officials from the ministry and Verdant Isle will make presentations and answer questions about the project.

“These meetings are an opportunity for the public to get more information on the project and have their questions answered before Referendum Day,” said Premier Alden McLaughlin. “It is vital that the public is able to weigh up the issues and make an informed choice based on facts, and not on hearsay, opinions or assumptions.” Read the whole story here.

Thousands of scientists warn of climate emergency

Cayman News Service
6 November 2019

Over 11,000 scientists have backed comprehensive research which concludes that the world is in a climate emergency. The work is based on 40 years of data that illustrates a myriad of climate related issues. The scientists say the planet is facing “untold human suffering” and they have a moral obligation to warn humanity about the scale of the threat. The study, published in the Oxford Academic journal BioScience, came out on the same day that last month was declared the hottest October in recorded history.

The scientists said that, despite explicit warnings of insufficient progress on tackling this emergency, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are still rising, so now an “immense increase of scale in endeavors to conserve our biosphere is needed to avoid untold suffering”. The research by the authors, which is backed by this unprecedented number of scientists, is shown in a clear suite of graphical vital signs of climate change.

The climate crisis is closely linked to excessive consumption of the wealthy, with the most affluent countries responsible for the historical emissions.

“Profoundly troubling signs from human activities include sustained increases in both human and ruminant livestock populations, per capita meat production, world gross domestic product, global tree cover loss, fossil fuel consumption, the number of air passengers carried, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and per capita CO2 emissions since 2000,” the authors found. Read the whole story here.

Digicel Cayman goes plastic-free

Loop Cayman
6 November 2019

In its ongoing quest to contribute to a healthier environment in the Cayman Islands, Digicel has opted to go plastic-free in all of its retail outlets, with immediate effect. 

The telecommunications provider has replaced all plastic shopping bags with brown paper bags that are both eco-friendly and elegant. The paper bags are 100% recyclable and 100% biodegradable, are made of 100% PCW Recycled Paper and are FSC compliant.

Digicel recently announced that it would also be discontinuing its 2G coverage, which would reduce the company’s carbon footprint while enhancing performance. Read the whole story here.

CUC: Hot weather brings record electricity demand

Cayman Compass
5 November 2019

Higher than average temperatures in the third quarter of 2019 and a corresponding increase in air conditioning usage have pushed Caribbean Utilities Company’s sales by 8%, to 184.4 million kilowatt hours, compared to the same period last year.

The average monthly temperature for the quarter of 86.5 degrees Fahrenheit was 1.1 degrees higher than in the third quarter of 2018, CUC noted in its latest earnings report.

President and CEO Richard Hew said the period continued a trend of positive quarterly financial results for the company, which was continuously reinvesting in modern equipment in response to the record level of electricity demanded by CUC customers.

CUC experienced a new system peak demand of 113.5 megawatts on 28 Aug. In 2017, peak demand was 105.6 MW after 103.6 MW in 2018.

The company’s installed generating capacity is 161 MW. Renewable capacity connected to the grid increased to 10.3 MW in September 2019 from 9.7 MW in September 2018.

The company has invested $43.7 million in physical infrastructure so far this year to meet present and future demand. CUC anticipates investments of more than $270 million towards system extension and upgrades during the next five years, in line with its recently approved 2019-2023 Capital Investment Plan. Read the whole story here.

Ancient Reefs In The Cayman Islands Are Being Used To Model And Prevent Worldwide Coral Extinction

Forbes
31 October 2019

A scientist from the Central Caribbean Marine Institute studying coral off of Little Cayman. CENTRAL CARIBBEAN MARINE INSTITUTE

Corals washed ashore in the Cayman Islands some 5,500 years ago due to catastrophic storm events. These ancient species are alive today and offer important evidence of the longevity of modern reef systems. Thousands of years ago, when sea levels rose above the edge of the Cayman Islands, shallow reef crests developed and Island lagoons formed with millions of calcifying plants and animals (composed of calcium carbonate, which is what limestone is made of) continuously fragmenting into sand particles for beaches— a natural carbonate factory. Today, scientists are reporting net negative calcification in certain regions. More sand is eroding than being deposited, more corals are dying than recruiting— scientists are grappling with the unthinkable scenario of coral reef extinction by 2050. But scientists at the Cayman Islands’ Central Caribbean Marine Institute, based in Little Cayman, are studying the unique characteristics of resilient 5,500 year-old corals to create new and better models for predicting and safeguarding against climate change impacts. Read the whole story here.

Plastic bottles: How we got here

CBC What on Earth?
31 October 2019

Last week, Coca-Cola was named the most polluting brand in the world in an audit conducted by Break Free From Plastic, a global movement made up of roughly 1,500 organizations calling for the reduction of single-use plastics. Close followers were Nestle and PepsiCo.

It may not be a total surprise, since Coca-Cola itself disclosed in a recent report that it produced three million tonnes of plastic annually.

Plastic is found in all kinds of things, but one of the most prevalent applications is packaging for drinks, including water.

Not that long ago, all soft drinks were kept in glass bottles. (Milk was, too.) You can still find glass bottles of pop, but they're nowhere near as ubiquitous as plastic ones. How did we end up here?

According to Bart Elmore, associate professor at Ohio State University’s department of history, it all started with throwaway beer containers in the early 1900s. After Prohibition in the U.S. was lifted, the market opened up, allowing brewers to ship to more distant locations using disposable steel cans instead of glass bottles.

The single-use container was "a way of breaking into those markets with a different kind of container," Elmore said, and "having this kind of throwaway system" meant saving money on reclaiming bottles and cleaning them in-house.

Eventually, Elmore said, the soft drink industry took notice. Aluminum pop cans took off around the 1960s, but Nathaniel Wyeth, an engineer at the chemical company DuPont, wondered why the soft drink industry wasn’t using plastic. He was told carbonated beverages would cause plastic to explode, but he eventually created a new, stronger type of plastic: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which was patented in 1973.

The soft drink industry loved it because it was much cheaper to ship than glass and didn’t run the risk of breaking.

Ironically, Coca-Cola realized the environmental cost of this system. In 1969, the company commissioned a life-cycle analysis comparing the use of glass to plastic in areas such as energy expenditure, water pollution, carbon emissions and more. The original report is no longer available, but the scientists behind it reproduced it for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1974. Their conclusion: A throwaway plastic bottle would not improve on the environmental impact of a glass bottle that was returned 10 times. 

This seems obvious to us now. Coca-Cola went ahead with the plastic bottles anyway. But studies show only nine per cent of all plastic waste is ever recycled, a disturbing statistic when you consider the amount that Coca-Cola alone produces. Read the whole story here.

Premier urges Caymanians to ‘choose prosperity’

Cayman Compass
28 October 2019

Premier Alden McLaughlin delivers his speech during the port referendum debate in the Legislative Assembly on Monday morning. - Photo: Taneos Ramsay

Painting the issue as a choice between “prosperity and decline”, Premier Alden McLaughlin tabled a bill for a referendum on the cruise and cargo port project Monday.

Speaking at the beginning of two days of debate on the bill, which sets the date and question for the upcoming poll, McLaughlin insisted the case for building the cruise piers was “overwhelming”.

“Prosperity or decline? This government chooses prosperity for this and future generations of Caymanians,” he said.

“I ask all members of this honourable house to vote ‘Aye’ to this referendum bill and to those Caymanians that go out to the polls on Referendum Day, I ask them to vote a resounding yes [to the project]”.

In a two-hour speech Monday morning, McLaughlin hit back at critics of the project and of his government. Read the whole story and speech here.

Drawing a line in the sand

Cayman Compass
24 October 2019

Winsome Prendergast on patrol on Seven Mile Beach recently. - Photo: Alvaro Serey

Concern over public access to the beach is an issue that has festered for decades in the Cayman Islands. A 2018 report revealed that the vast majority of public access paths to beaches were either blocked, neglected and overgrown with vegetation, or lacking proper signs.

Disputes between landowners and beachgoers over ‘rights of way’ to the beach have also escalated over the past decade.
Combined with concern over commercial activity on the island’s beaches, the issue prompted government to establish the Public Lands Commission.

Now former police commander Winsome Prendergast is leading the new commission’s inspection unit.

In an interview with the Cayman Compass, she laid out the role of the commission, the rights of beachgoers and how to complain if you feel your beach-access rights are being restricted. Read the whole story here.

DoE: 2019 set to be a record turtle-nesting season

Cayman Compass
21 October 2019

As Cayman’s turtle-nesting season nears the homestretch, the Department of Environment said it has already been one of its busiest to date.

According to new numbers from the DoE, the current tally of turtle nests found in Grand Cayman this year is set to surpass the 406 nests recorded in all three islands in 2018.

“So far, DoE staff, visiting scientists, and volunteers have counted well over 400 nests in Grand Cayman alone,” said DoE marine research officer Janice Blumenthal. “That number will continue to increase until the end of the nesting season, which runs until November or even later.”

The rise in nests has been heartening for the department’s turtle team.
“Nests are left to hatch naturally on the beach, so hatchlings make their own way to the sea,” the DoE told the Cayman Compass on Monday. “It appears that 2019 will be a record year for Grand Cayman nesting numbers.” Read the whole story here.

Cayman plastic plume startles harbour patrol

Cayman Compass
21 October 2019

Delwin McLaughlin has been boating on the waters around Cayman for many years, but what he saw last Thursday stunned him: a floating stream of plastic more than a mile long in the ocean west of George Town.

“I’ve seen plastic here and there, but not miles long,” said McLaughlin, a harbour patrol officer for the Port Authority. “I’ve never come across miles of trash in my whole life.”

He said his fellow officer on the boat that day has even more years on the water than he does, and he had also never seen a stream of pollution like the one they encountered.

McLaughlin, who has worked for dive companies and for the Department of Environment, took a video of the trash, with his concern evident in his accompanying commentary.

“It was like 15 minutes to half an hour of constant trash,” he said. Read the whole story and watch the video here.

After Dorian, could we be next?

Cayman Compass
10 October 2019

When Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas last month as a destructive Category 5 storm that lingered for three days killing more than 50 people and leaving thousands homeless, the first reaction of Cayman Islands residents was to come to the aid of a stricken neighbour in need.

Donations flooded into the Red Cross, the police helicopter was dispatched to join the relief effort, and Premier Alden McLaughlin flew to Nassau with a planeload of medical supplies donated by Cayman’s hospitals.

Now as the dust settles and Abaco and Grand Bahama begin the long road to recovery, another reaction is starting to surface: Fear.

The onslaught of disastrous storms to hit the region in the last few years aligns with the hypothesis of climate scientists that warming oceans are likely to fuel more destructive hurricanes.

Caymanians who lived through Hurricane Ivan might have thought they had faced the worst that nature had to offer and lived to tell the tale. But, from the news reports, the accounts of the Cayman police pilots who flew into Abaco and from the premier who met with his Bahamian counterpart in the early days of the relief effort, Dorian was many times worse than anything they had seen before. Worse than Maria, worse than Irma, worse even than Ivan. Read the whole story here.

Caribbean coral reef could be destroyed to make way for cruise ships in the Cayman Islands 

The Telegraph
11 October 2019

The Soto's Reef, one of those under threat from the George Town harbour expansion CREDIT: COURTNEY PLATT /COURTNEY PLATT 

It is one of Britain's most prized coral reefs, sitting off the coast of the Cayman Islands which were praised by Prince Charles as a "shining example" of a Commonwealth nation protecting its marine life.

But 15 acres of the coral reef, which is home to critically endangered turtles, could be destroyed to make way for two cruise ship docks as part of plans to boost tourism.

Environmental campaigners warn the George Town Harbour project will see 22 acres of the seabed dredged, and silt sedimentation will turn the “crystal-clear aquamarine waters to murky white”.

In December, the first publicly initiated referendum on the islands will decide the reef's future, after 25 per cent of the electorate signed a petition to take the decision to a vote.

There are fears it may not save the reef as campaigners claim the Government has withheld the latest designs for the docks, and the date of the vote coming so close to Christmas will mean many residents are on holiday.

“The marine environment is the heritage of the Caymanian people and decisions made today will have consequences for generations to come,” said Shirely Roulstone, of the Cruise Port Referendum (CPR) Cayman campaign group.

“We must be responsible custodians of our precious natural resources.” Read the whole story here.

Cruise lines still polluting

Cayman News Service
7 October 2019

Carnival Corporation fined for pollution

Environmental credentials claimed by the cruise lines partnering with the Verdant Isle group during their recent visit to the Cayman Islands rang hollow after a US federal judge said that Carnival Corporation was still not doing enough to fix the ocean pollution it caused. Activists campaigning against the cruise port that Verdant Isle has won the bid to build want to know how people in Cayman can trust the port partners when they are violating a court order and continuing to damage the marine environment.

With the date and the question for the referendum on the proposed facility now fixed, activists continue to press government for critical information to help voters decide. In the meantime, they are also concerned about information already in the public domain that raises red flags about the organisations government is planning to work with.

“Cayman cannot afford to partner with an entity that has such a negative track record and that continues to abuse and remain non-compliant with court orders and breach environmental laws,” a spokesperson for CPR said.

They urged voters to come out in record numbers and say “no to the destruction of our God-given marine environment which ‘He hath founded it upon the seas’ for us all to enjoy and protect,” CPR said.

The news that Carnival is still not fulfilling the terms of its probation was aired in a Miami federal court last week, when Judge Patricia Seitz said she had expected more concrete action and fewer promises from the world’s biggest cruise line in addressing the conviction over pollution dating back to 2016.

Carnival was fined a further $20 million for violating the terms of its probation, on top of the original $40 million fine imposed in 2016. Read the whole story here.

A deep dive into the seaweed

Cayman Compass
6 October 2019

Work crews have been required to clean up the beaches and occasionally the streets on days when Grand Cayman has been inundated.

You smell it, before you see it. That pungent rotten-egg scent that carries on the sea breeze is the first warning sign of an unwelcome visitor to Cayman’s shores.

It was impossible to travel around Grand Cayman this summer without encountering sargassum. Thick brown clumps of the stringy seaweed clogged up coastal inlets and swamped beaches for weeks at a time. Hotels and condos were severely impacted. Residents suffered the suffocating odour and saw their beach access diminished. Crews of unemployed people were mobilised to clear the coastline while government and hoteliers were forced to shell out for specialist equipment to maintain the island’s pristine sandy beaches.

In comparison to some of our neighbours in the region, Cayman has been lucky. Seven Mile Beach has remained relatively unscathed and the efforts of business owners and government have kept the impact on tourism to a minimum. So far. Scientists agree that regular sargassum landings are likely to be the “new normal” for the Caribbean. For some countries, it may simply be a seasonal irritant; for others, it could be an existential threat to their tourism industries. Where Cayman will fit within that spectrum remains to be seen. Read the whole story here.


DoE registers 60 Cayman parrots in amnesty effort

Cayman Compass
1 October 2019

Anyone owning a Cayman parrot has until 29 Feb. 2020 to register it. - PHOTO: STUART MAILER

Sixty Cayman parrots have been signed up for registration so far under the Department of Environment’s ongoing amnesty.

The department said 54 birds on Grand Cayman and six on Cayman Brac have been signed up.

The six-month amnesty began this month and is scheduled to end in February 2020.

It is illegal to possess a Cayman parrot, but the DoE opted to give those keeping the parrots as pets an opportunity to register the birds, rather than confiscating all parrots being kept as pets.

Additionally, the department does not have the resources to deal with so many seized birds.

The DoE, in a statement to the Cayman Compass, said the amnesty efforts have been going well. Read the whole story here.

Coral spawning provides an underwater spectacle

Cayman Compass
23 September 2019

Illuminated by the moody glow of a dozen torchlights, a group of divers hovers over the reef.

The distinctive antler-like shape of a large staghorn formation emerges from the gloom. An octopus squirts between coral heads. Bloodworms swarm in the torch beams.

It’s just after 10pm on a reef off East End known as Fantasea Land. It is an unusual time to be in the water, but the group from Ocean Frontiers dive shop is here for a reason. One of the most iconic displays in nature is about to begin.

The spectacle starts slowly at first.

Tiny pink bubbles fizz from a large head of mountainous star coral, so named because of the peaks and valleys that cover its stony surface. Then it erupts, and bundles of gametes gush into the water column, drifting upwards like a snowstorm in reverse.

Soon the entire reef is exploding.

Across Cayman’s reefs, the same phenomenon occurs almost simultaneously. Within the space of 20 minutes, six or seven nights after the September full moon, almost every hard coral in Cayman’s reef system spontaneously reproduces. Read the whole story here.

Young climate activists worry over future

Cayman News Service
23 September 2019

Protesters at the Sunset Climate Strike

Dozens of adults joined the younger generation on Friday evening for the Sunset Climate Strike in George Town. The teenage organisers from Protect Our Future focused on the specific threat to the harbour from the port project, on a day where millions of people around the world protested the lack of action on climate change. Dejea Lyons (16), one of the leaders of the local campaign, said she is very worried that the government here is not listening but it is her generation that will suffer.

Lyons told CNS that she and her fellow teenage activists are very frustrated that they will not be able to vote in the upcoming referendum. “If I could I would vote ‘no’ a thousand times,” she said, adding that she was convinced that if teenage students could vote, 90% of them would also say no to the project.

As one of the leaders of Protect our Future, an organisation which has gathered momentum in very short period of time, Lyons is passionate about conserving the natural beauty of her home. But the campaign has seen many local young people get involved in the goal to raise awareness about the environment and what is being lost, which will have a detrimental impact on their generation.

The decision by the young people to use the global action day on climate change to focus on the cruise port project is because of the specific impact the loss of so much irreplaceable marine habitat will have on them. Lyons said that the young people need “the adults that can vote to hear us”, as she noted that they “will be the ones that are going to be clearing up the mess” they leave behind. “But I am really worried that government just isn’t listening to the people,” she said. Read the whole story here.

DoE raises concerns over Beach Bay hotel

Cayman News Service
9 September 2019

Beach Bay development, artist’s rendition

A controversial $167 million resort project proposed for the quiet residential community of Beach Bay has not only raised significant concerns for the residents in the area but also the Department of Environment. The DoE has said that the National Conservation Council does not require the developers to conduct an EIA because local experts are already familiar with the site. However, the department has identified a number of problems with the planned development.

In its submission to the Central Planning Authority, which is set to hear the application Wednesday, the DoE said that if the CPA does grant planning permission it should not allow the developer to build on the beach, as currently proposed. The applicant wants to put beachfront villas, a pool deck, a guest services area, a pathway and a even a sewer directly on the beach, which will reduce the beach significantly.

“This has the effect of reducing the beach area by almost half in some areas,” the DoE stated.”The existing beach is approximately 170 feet wide at its widest point and with the proposed villas, sewer and pathway, there will be only approximately 90 feet remaining of beach. While we understand the desire to create an experience where villas open directly onto the beach, we do not support building directly on the beach.” Read the whole story here.

Department of Environment rescue turtle from ‘ghost net’

Cayman Compass
3 September 2019

Department of Environment officers, en route by boat to Cayman Brac last week, freed a turtle they came across that was trapped in a floating ‘ghost net’.

DoE Conservation Officer Joe Kellog and Cayman Brac Field Officer Martin van der Touw rescued the tangled turtle as they travelled to Grand Cayman from Cayman Brac. The 26 Aug. rescue was captured on video and posted online.

The video, posted on the DoE’s Facebook page, appears to show the turtle swimming freely in the water moments after the net was removed.

Ghost nets are fishing nets left or lost in the ocean by fishermen. The nets can be dangerous for marine life as they can trap animals or get hung up on reefs.

In April 2018, a ghost net with dead sharks and hundreds of other fish trapped inside was discovered on a reef north of Grand Cayman. It was towed to shore by local fishermen and removed from the water. Read the whole story and watch the video here.

Real protection needed to stop mangrove clearance

Cayman News Service
3 September 2019

The Department of Environment is hoping that if Cabinet accepts the recommendations of the National Conservation Council for a species protection plan for mangroves, it will help curtail the constant clearance of these important plants for development. With a number of sites, from West Bay to Snug Harbour, being cleared of mangroves in recent months ahead of more canal and other developments, the DoE is in a constant battle to preserve them.

Despite mangrove buffer zones on the now extremely dated National Development Plan and the DoE’s recommendations that developers try to use mangroves in landscaping and retain the buffers around canal developments, they are often ignored. The DoE urges developers not to clear mangroves until construction is ready to start, but that advice is also often unheeded, with some developers clearing sites even before planning permission is granted without any apparent consequences.

“The clearing of mangroves is a major issue and it is happening sometimes without permission and it is too late for us to have any input after the fact,” DoE Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie told CNS.

She hopes that the proposed species protection plan for mangroves will make it harder for the CPA to ignore the environmental issues regarding mangroves and will stop this general clearance of mangroves unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Ebanks-Petrie said that clearance should not be happening without some kind of scrutiny. The DoE should be making their recommendations to planning about proposed developments on uncleared land, especially about eco-alternatives to mass land clearance that can lead to landscapes that are native and far easier and cheaper to manage.

While the DoE has managed with work with the developers to preserve a mangrove buffer at one planned canal development off the Esterly Tibbetts Highway, they were not so successful with another development. They were unable to prevent the CPA from granting planning permission to a site where the mangrove buffer has now been completely cleared. Even government has ripped out several acres of mangrove off Boatswain Road ahead of the development of a new police station in West Bay. Read the whole story here.

Letter: CPR outlines key concerns on cruise berthing facility – part 3 of 3

Cayman Compass
1 September 2019

A cruise ship docks at Nassau, Bahamas. Proposals are under way to create a new cruise ship dock at Lighthouse Point in Eleuthra, Bahamas.

Proudly supporting participatory democracy in our country, the first people-initiated referendum will empower voters to have their say on the cruise berthing facility.

This letter forms Part 3 of a 3-part letter which seeks to highlight some, but not all, of the numerous significant and unquantified risks associated with this project. Part one can be read here and part two can be read here. 

Finance model transparency

What will Caymanians really pay for the project? Governments have a duty to deliver value-for-money projects with public finances.

Capital investment will be CI$196 million for Option 2 from the preferred bidder, Verdant Isle Consortium, funded by (1) 40% from its own capital (2) 60% through a bank loan. However, required feasibility studies and public infrastructure costs remain either unassessed or publicly undisclosed including: (1) Geotechnical study of George Town Harbour (2) George Town revitalisation (3) Road upgrades (4) Increased demand for island resources – waste management/water/electricity (5) Spotts Dock upgrades (6) Coral and shipwreck relocation.

What are the interest rates and payment terms to repay investors (1) Verdant Isle; and (2) on the Bank loan? Section 3.6 of the Outline Business Case (PWC report) indicates private cost of funds could be 10-15% per year, who will ultimately pay for this?

Read the whole story here.

Suspect turtle poachers arrested

Cayman News Service
27 August 2019

Shell of suspected poached turtle

Two men were arrested last Wednesday on suspicion of poaching and drug offences after police and customs found a green turtle shell and meat during a raid at a West Bay home. RCIPS and Customs and Border Control officers carried out a joint operation at a house on Up The Hill Road, where they recovered a package of ganja from one of the men. But during a search of a vehicle at the location they also discovered a still bloody turtle shell and then a package of turtle meat inside the house.

A 27-year-old man from Bodden Town was arrested for possession and consumption of ganja as well as taking marine life without being licensed. A second man, aged 39 of West Bay, was also arrested over the poached turtle.

Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown said the raid had been based on suspicion about drug offences but the discovery of the turtle shell and meat was quite significant.

“As the police service, it is part of our remit to investigate and prosecute these offences as well, in conjunction with our partner agencies, and it is a responsibility we take very seriously,” he stated.

This is the second adult green turtle discovered to have been poached in the West Bay area recently. The DoE also found a shell in a dumpster in the district, indicating that the animal had already been butchered.

Dr Janice Blumenthal, a specialist in turtles at the Department of Environment, said that this most recent discovery demonstrates the ongoing threat poachers present to the endangered species.

“The shell was taken from an adult green sea turtle that was one of less than 150 such animals left in the wild around the Cayman Islands. It is also the second turtle shell recovered in an apparent poaching incident within the past month on Grand Cayman,” she said. “Although the Department of Environment has seen a steady increase in the number of turtle nests in recent years, poaching of even a few endangered adult sea turtles can lead to a reversal of that trend very quickly.” Read the whole story here.

https://www.caymaniantimes.ky/news/development-and-the-environment-a-delicate-dance

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