[Coral-List] Copenhagen flop: article raises serious question

RainbowWarriorsInternational southern_caribbean at yahoo.com
Wed Aug 26 16:09:18 EDT 2009


Dear Mrs. Brathwaite,

The problem with all UN conferences, summits and meetings is that if you want to throw stones, your own slate must be clean.

I am afraid that the climate issues go much further beyond just emissions, we also have to deal with climate change adaptation issues which are conveniently forgotten, in particular by the leisure and lodging industries, who are contributors to emissions, as are cruise lines and airlines.

In 2008 a consultant for the ECLAC visited a number of island in the Caribbean to gather input for a Stern Review style report economics of  climate for the entire Caribbean.

The premise being what are the costs if we do NOTHING?

We attended the meeting in Aruba with the consultants and found out that on average the attitude in the Caribbean was one of being uninformed and a lack of policies dealing with adaptation and mitigation issues.

The crux being that integrated coastal zone management, integrated watershed management, ecosystem based management of marine resources and agriculture were not seen as directly tied to climate change issues.

As long as big resorts, marinas, and commercial residential and shopping projects seem to dictate the policies of many island nations in the Caribbean, not to forget the airline and cruise line industries, the pivotal role of the Caribbean will be forgotten.

The Caribbean holds a large number of vested US interests in the tourism, resort, gaming entertainment and travel industries, and with the turning of the tide in the USA of the Obama administration it would be logical to assume the Caribbean also to get up to speed.

By the way we are still waiting for the ECLAC final report, and this fact underscores the general problem in the Caribbean, an incoherent regional policy or at least willingness to collaborate.

The Caribbean was declared a Special Area by the UN General Assembly, which designation comes with huge benefits, but also obligations. The latter seem to have been swept under the rug citing the 2008 financial sector meltdown and ensuing global and regional economic crisis as a severe restricting factor in allocating resources to policy creation and implementation.

In the end by doing nothing in the Caribbean we are ignoring the plight of small island developing nations in the Pacific, to whom by virtue of solidarity principles we are obliged to tackle the climate issues.

The climate issues are global in nature and we can at our own peril choose to ignore them in the Caribbean, only to have to face "the music" tomorrow at a higher cost than if we chose to act now.

Milton Ponson, President
Rainbow Warriors Core Foundation
(Rainbow Warriors International) Tel. +297 747 8280
PO Box 1154, Oranjestad 
Aruba, Dutch Caribbean 
Email: southern_caribbean at yahoo.com Web Sites: http://www.southerncaribbean..org   http://www.rainbowwarriors.net (Global)
http://www.projectparadigm.info

To unite humanity in a global society dedicated to a sustainable way of life

--- On Wed, 8/26/09, Angelique Brathwaite <abrathwaite at coastal.gov.bb> wrote:

From: Angelique Brathwaite <abrathwaite at coastal.gov.bb>
Subject: re: [Coral-List] Copenhagen flop: article raises serious question
To:
 coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Cc: "RainbowWarriorsInternational" <southern_caribbean at yahoo.com>
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2009, 11:08 AM

Hi,

Speaking from the perspective of a scientist in a
 developing country (Barbados), the "use" of the tens of thousands of scientists showing up from 
especially developed countries would be to consider/find solutions to the problems created by primarily developed countries.
If all the SIDS cut their emissions, I doubt it would make a dent.  I speak subject to correction...not being a climate change expert.

We all have to play our part..developing and developed nations, but there is no getting away from the fact that developed nations have to take a larger share of the blame for the Climate Change problems
and also have a lot to more money at their disposal to find solutions.

That said..my Government will be "showing up" in Copenhagen.



Angelique Brathwaite
Marine Biologist
Coastal Zone Management Unit
Bay St. St. Michael
BB11156

Phone: (246) 228 5950/51/52 ext
 231 
Fax: (246)228 5956
e-mail: abrathwaite at coastal.gov.bb
skype: seaeggz 



From: "RainbowWarriorsInternational" <southern_caribbean at yahoo.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 12:43 PM
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: [Coral-List] Copenhagen flop: article raises serious question

See the article:

http://www.cphpost.dk/news/national/88-national/46609-climate-summit-flop-feared.html.

Is there a grain of truth to the threat of a flop?

We know for a fact that e.g. in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands, Aruba, and the former Netherlands Antilles (Bonaire, Curacao, Dutch St.Martin, Saba and St. Eustatia, aka Statia) ONLY the Netherlands are in compliance with climate change treaties.

The
Dutch Caribbean islands like many Caribbean nations are not and make no
excuse for this, except lack of expertise and government resources.

What
is the use of tens of thousands of scientists and researchers and
 NGOs
being on board, if governments in developing nations do not commit
themselves to the cause and even consider NOT showing up in Copenhagen?


Milton Ponson, President
Rainbow Warriors Core Foundation
(Rainbow Warriors International) Tel. +297 747 8280
PO Box 1154, Oranjestad 
Aruba, Dutch Caribbean 
Email: southern_caribbean at yahoo.com Web Sites: http://www.southerncaribbean...org http://www.rainbowwarriors.net (Global)
http://www.projectparadigm.info

To unite humanity in a global society dedicated to a sustainable way of life



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