Stronger legislation needed to combat climate change
Minister for Natural Resources Vincent Wheatley is urging Latin American and Caribbean leaders to implement legislation that accelerates climate resilience in the region.
Speaking at a 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) side event for parliaments in the region, Wheatley said the resposibility lies with every nation, regardless of their size.
“Latin America and the Caribbean’s ability to cope with the ongoing negative effects of climate change, especially among the Low-lying Coastal States and Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) of the region, hinges on our ability to accelerate climate resilience using legislation that can, among other things, improve building codes that strengthen the ability of our housing and building infrastructure to withstand climate shocks,” the Minister of Natural Resources said.
Wheatley said policies have improved drastically but to help clean up the carbon footprint of the region, the government must strengthen its environmental legislation.
“We have continued to strengthen our environmental policies and laws to conserve and protect our environment. For example, we have adopted stronger measures to protect mangrove forests that serve as natural coastal defences from storm surges and also absorb carbon dioxide from the air,” he added.
In addressing the panel of parliamentary representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean, Wheatley used the BVI’s’ recovery from hurricanes Irma and Maria as examples of how climate change can severely impact small-island states in the region.
“I speak from the experience of the British Virgin Islands as a post-disaster society that is still recovering from the devastation of two category five hurricanes in September 2017. You will recall that Hurricane Irma was one of the strongest hurricanes on record to pass over the Atlantic and Caribbean,” the minister said.
Earlier this month, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley had gained international praise when she gave a speech at COP26 on how climate change has impacted the small island states worldwide.
Mottley challenged more developed nations to do better with their fight against climate change as the rising temperature signals a death sentence for those who live in island-states like the British Virgin Islands.
COP26 is the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference.
It is being held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, between 31 October and 12 November 2021, under the presidency of Alok Sharma.
The countries involved in the conference are expected to enhance their drive and ambition towards mitigating climate change. Minister Wheatley was the BVI’s representative.
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Why should we listen to you? Your Government disbanded the board of the Climate Change Trust Fund which was established to obtain and administer funding for mitigating against climate change. You got rid of competent people with the intention of packing it with a bunch of shiftless cronies. Your talk is idle and wasted. The proof is in the pudding and you have shown no intention of doing anything other than attend conferences and spew throwaway lines.
If you want to do something about climate change, deal with the emission of toxic gases into the atmosphere at the Pockwood Pond dump. Deal with runoff from construction sites. Clean up your shorelines and treat your sewage.
All talk, lets keep burning diesel to keep the current and burn our trash on the hill …..
We will know you are serious when significant steps are taken by Government to restore the ponds and mangroves. Fix the toxic burning on the hillside above the incinerator. Fix the health hazard and stench of sewage in our streets. All talk until then. Not another law needed.
He need to sort out the garbage situation on VG first
Vincent Wheatley Is just a big waste of time and energy.
You can’t even ban styrofoam and plastic straws, what hope have we got. It makes me feel sick, why is it so difficult? Screw the opposers they have to wake up and adapt, we are destroying our planet for our children.
Why don’t we use some of that money it cost you to fly to Scotland on that boondoggle?
This boy is just looking for some handouts from the big countries that he can drop into the BVI cookie jar (and we know who’s hands are in that!)
This place needs some serious environmental cleanup. Raw sewage = legal to dump right from boats into our reefs!
Wrecked Fiberglass Boats = just burn them in our dumps, so the local people can breath it in and get cancer in 30 years!
Electricity = diesel generators from the 1950’s
Recycling = make a few concreate counter tops out of some beer bottles and then just burn the rest in the dump! (more cancer for everyone!!)
YES WE ARE NATURES LITTLE SECRET – so please give us some of the money!
Nobody’s sewage system is any better than
Anyone else’s.
https://youtu.be/vOYQuM02Z3c
The whole design is at least 400 years out if date.
Dry toilets like loowatt.com are the only way to stop chemical bleach and humus from reaching the streets in storms.
They’re easy to make, easy to move and reduce water bills.
Maybe in a few years this will be better understood.
Better ideas.
Best of luck.
Mr ask why we do things this way.