The two-day SEForAll Global Forum opened yesterday with a call to action for delegates to deliver meaningful results for the people who depend on them.

This call to action came from Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins, during the opening of the forum at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. She said the road, from the creation of SEForAll, to COP in Paris to COP in Rio this year, has been paved with promises that need to be met, and deliverables that must be accomplished.

“And the time to change must begin with us right here, right now, in this moment, and not a moment later. So, this is a call to action for all of us,” Senator Cummins stated.

The Minister noted that oftentimes countries sit at the table but feel they were not heard. She expressed the view that the concerns of small island developing states (SIDS), Africa, the developing world and the global south must be given the urgency required, and stressed that they must be seen and heard.

She pointed out that issues relating to climate and financing would be discussed over the next two days, and said they were legitimate conversations that must be had.

Senator Cummins continued: “How do we, over the next two days, map a pathway to an energy transition that accelerates access to affordable financing to SIDS and all the developing economies? How do we look at the issues of bankability, availability of financing and balancing the important needs of our people, who, across the globe, have said to us they feel excluded, but they need to be included.

“They feel disenfranchised, but they need to be enfranchised. They feel as though they don’t have empowerment but need to be empowered. How do we walk away from here on Thursday evening with a supporting framework that creates bridges from the African continent, [and] the Pacific region, to hear us in the Caribbean in meaningful ways that support research and development, innovation, sustainability, investment, inclusion, affordable financing and new mechanisms that make people the centre of an energy transition?” 

Senator Cummins reminded her audience that small island developing states were on the frontline of several crises –  climate, debt, development, sustainability, vulnerability and invisibility.            

The SEForAll Global Forum ends today. (PR/GIS)

Coastal Hazards and Earthquake Smart Month will be commemorated from March 1 to 31, with a number of activities, under the theme Building Resilience from Coastline to Community.

The month of activities, hosted by the Technical Standing Committee on Coastal Hazards (TSCCH), will commence with an opening ceremony at the Hillcrest Community Centre, Bathsheba, St. Joseph, today Monday, March 3, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Minister of Home Affairs and Information, Wilfred Abrahams, will deliver the feature address, while co-chairs of the TSCCH, Director of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), Kerry Hinds, and Director of the Coastal Zone Management Unit, Dr. Leo Brewster, will deliver remarks. Deputy Director of the Barbados Meteorological Services, Brian Murray, will also deliver remarks.

At the ceremony, there will be a cultural presentation by the Haynesville Youth Club, and a DEM booth, showcasing video presentations on Tsunami Ready projects in St. James Central and Christ Church West.

A social media campaign will run throughout the month on television, radio, and DEM’s social media pages to share messages relating to the various coastal hazards, earthquakes, tsunamis, coastal erosion and storm surge.

Trivia Tuesdays will be hosted on March 4, 11, 18, and 25 on DEM’s Instagram and Facebook pages. Questions will be asked in the morning about the various coastal hazards in the form of “This or That” and the answers posted in the evening. Winners will be chosen at random.

National Earthquake Preparedness Day will be held on Friday, March 7, at 10:00 a.m., when persons will be asked to activate an alert signal to start the earthquake drill procedures – ‘drop, cover, and hold on’.

This activity is designed to increase awareness about earthquake hazards and test the earthquake procedures of participating organisations.

On Saturday, March 8, the St. Michael North-West District Emergency Organisation will launch its Coast-to-Land: Adopt-a-Hazard community project and Tsunami Ready Initiative 2025, at the Grace Bible Church, Bird’s River, Deacons, St. Michael, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Ms. Hinds and Dr. Brewster are expected to address the opening ceremony at this event.

On Wednesday, March 12, there will be a lunchtime panel discussion on Empowering Communities to Take Charge of Their Own Resilience, at the Barbados Light and Power’s Christie Conference Room, Garrison, St. Michael, from 10:00 a.m. to noon.  

The annual Caribe Wave Exercise will come off on Thursday, March 20, from 11:00 a.m., across northern areas and communities. This exercise is designed to increase earthquake and tsunami preparedness and test procedures in businesses and schools across Barbados to improve emergency coordination and response.

Then on Sunday, March 23, the annual Run Tsunami Run 5K Walk and Run will kick off from Dina’s Bar in Hill Crest, Bathsheba, St. Joseph, at 3:00 p.m. (PR/GIS)

The Ministry of Environment and National Beautification, Blue and Green Economy has launched its ‘Gullies Are Life’ Project, in a drive to emphasise its role in combating climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution in Barbados.

Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, Blue and Green Economy, Adrian Forde, who gave a breakdown of the project at the launch yesterday, in Green Hill, St. Michael, said it was aptly named.

“We believe that the living oasis – our gullies and our ecosystems – must be at the centre, in terms of our mitigation efforts to combat the vagaries of climate change as we know it. This world is faced with the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

“What are we going to do about climate change? We are saying that with a good ecosystem – the Gullies Project – we will be able to help in terms of having that green carbon sink, so that we can reduce that harmful greenhouse gas that is affecting the world over,” Mr. Forde stated. 

The ‘Gullies Are Life’ Project aims to rehabilitate over 1,500 kilometres of gullies – which are crucial for water infiltration and biodiversity – and incorporates key initiatives, including the removing of illegal waste, relocating derelict vehicles, and the planting of vegetation. (PR/GIS)