Protection of St. Kitts and Nevis’ environmental resources is directly relational to the country’s move toward being a sustainable island state. This is the belief of Senator the Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment. She called for extensive discussions with, and among, the movers and stakeholders of the tourism industry, to effect positive change.
Senator Clarke expressed this view at the recently concluded 8th Our Oceans Conference, in Panama City. The operative theme for the symposium was “Our Ocean, Our Connection.” There was intense focus on the regulation of activities that are detrimental to the ocean, creation of ideas and practices to combat pollution and the mitigation of consequences of climate change.
The Minister with responsibility for the environment emphasized that there must be continuous balance between the protection of the environment, particularly the coastal areas, and the maintaining of livelihoods. Ninety percent (90%) of St. Kitts and Nevis’ developed infrastructure is along the coast and that makes the country extremely vulnerable to even the mildest weather events.
She admitted that this is a big ask of St Kitts and Nevis, especially since the twin-island state is heavily dependent on very vulnerable industries such as tourism and fossil fuel energy. Tourism contributes to 53% of the gross domestic product of St. Kitts and Nevis and 95% of the country’s energy consumption comes from fossil fuel.
“This is an ethical/ moral challenge. We need the environment. People visit St. Kitts and Nevis to experience our environment and we must be committed to supporting climate advocacy, education and increased cooperation between government and the private sector if we are to strike the required balance to conserve and preserve our fragile eco-system,” Minister Clarke admonished.
The Environment Minister also intimated that adaptation and mitigation for environmental conservation should begin from the pre-school level, in order for children to have a better understanding of the need to protect the environment for future generations.
Dr. Clarke revealed that St. Kitts and Nevis is at a critical intersection where there is political will and a spotlight zoomed in on climate finance but there is also the reality of the Federation considered as a high-income state. This precludes the country from accessing critical finance to address climate advocacy.
“Survivability, justice and climate finance are critical components in our addressing of coastal resilience and we are committed to using the information sourced from this conference to engage the movers of our tourism sector and to make informed decisions, going forward,” Senator Clarke assured.
The 8th Our Ocean Conference highlighted the importance of knowledge as the basis of actions and policies to ensure protection of the region’s oceans, responsible management of marine resources, and sustainable future economic growth. It was a platform for governments, businesses, and people to demonstrate their interest in saving the ocean through measurable impacts and cooperation.
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