As the Bahamas works to pass climate change legislation this week, the Virgin Islands has eyes in the room. Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration Minister Vincent Wheatley is in the …
April 30, 2022
April 19, 2022
EDITORIAL: Beach plans are a welcome step
Kudos to the government for finally starting work on a series of management plans for the territory’s beaches. These long-needed strategies can’t come soon enough. The importance of the Virgin …
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March 23, 2022
3 years later, climate fund board to be re-formed
After about three years of inactivity, the Climate Change Trust Fund board may soon be getting the members it needs to operate again. The body, which was created through the …
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March 11, 2022
Women’s Day celebrates climate change leaders
The government placed a special focus on the progress women have made in the arenas of climate change and disaster risk management while celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8. …
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December 9, 2021
Wheatley calls for focus on climate financing
Deputy Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley recently called for a focus on climate financing for the 14 associate member countries of the United Nations Economic Commission of Latin America and …
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November 25, 2021
Climate a focus as JMC wound down
At the conclusion of the Joint Ministerial Council meeting in London last week, Prince William made an appearance as world leaders turned their attention to how climate change is impacting …
November 24, 2021
September 14, 2021
EDITORIAL: Premier dropped the ball on climate change fund
As we’ve said before, the current government’s 2019 decision to revoke all six appointed members of the Climate Change Trust Fund board was a huge mistake. The failure to replace …
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September 9, 2021
Climate fund has never benefited from eco-levy
Less than two months after the Virgin Islands Party came to power in the February 2019 general election, all six private-sector members of the Climate Change Trust Fund board received …
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November 16, 2020
EDITORIAL: A new day in the US — and the Caribbean
Change has come to the United States, and as usual this means change has come to the rest of the world as well. The election of Joe Biden and Kamala …
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October 30, 2020
VI wary as US heads to polls
An old adage proclaims, “When the United States sneezes, the world catches a cold.” As the country heads into a presidential election next Tuesday amid the Covid-19 pandemic, that wisdom …
March 10, 2020
EDITORIAL: Mangrove planting is great, but new laws needed too
Government and non-profit organisations deserve kudos for working together recently to launch a major mangrove restoration programme, but we fear their work will be for naught if comprehensive changes aren’t …
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January 20, 2020
VI to see mangrove restoration
The Virgin Islands will soon see a mangrove reforestation project designed to help mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change, according to Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration Minister Vincent Wheatley. …
December 17, 2019
EDITORIAL: COP25 a call to climate action
As a few large countries delayed needed action at the United Nations Climate Change Conference this month in Spain, people are dying from storms, rising sea levels, droughts and other …
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November 25, 2019
IAC advised to target climate disputes
The BVI International Arbitration Centre is well positioned to become a leader in handling disputes related to climate change, according to a London-based lawyer who delivered the third Dr. J. …
November 13, 2019
Sea rise likely to displace Caribbean towns
As sea levels continue to rise in the coming decades, entire communities in the Caribbean and elsewhere probably will be forced to relocate even if large nations keep the pledges …
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October 16, 2019
Constant PTSD in climate change age
NEW YORK CITY — With climate change expected to bring more frequent natural disasters to the Caribbean, mental health experts are changing the way they talk about post-traumatic stress disorder. …
October 6, 2019
VI, others take climate case to UN
NEW YORK CITY — At the United Nations on Friday, Benito Wheatley told world leaders about the Virgin Islands’ struggles to get help from abroad after it was devastated by …
October 3, 2019
UNDP pledges to up support to SIDS
NEW YORK CITY — In a formal briefing at the United Nations Climate Action Summit last Monday in New York City, UN Development Programme Administrator Achim Steiner addressed concerns expressed …
October 1, 2019
Island leaders announce climate goals at UN summit
NEW YORK CITY — As carbon emissions climb, global temperatures spike, oceans rise and storms grow more intense, the effects of climate change get closer to a course that scientists …
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September 17, 2019
EDITORIAL: Dorian a tragic warning as global climate warms
Hurricane Dorian’s tragic destruction in the Bahamas was yet another dire warning to the entire Caribbean. Scientists expect climate change to bring more frequent and more intense storms to the …
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September 6, 2019
In the BVI, Dorian brought 83 mph winds but no reports of major damage
When Hurricane Dorian brushed the Virgin Islands last week, it was still a Category 1 storm, and no major damage resulted, said Department of Disaster Management Director Sharleen DaBreo-Lettsome. However, …
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July 30, 2019
EDITORIAL: Eco-law could be a huge step forward
We are thrilled that the new government appears to be moving ahead with a badly needed law that could go a long way toward better protecting the territory’s increasingly beleaguered …
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July 25, 2019
15 years later, draft eco-law on the way
The government appears to be moving ahead with long-promised legislation that would dramatically reform the largely outdated patchwork of laws currently in place for protecting the territory’s delicate natural environment. …
July 9, 2019
Climate board still has no members
Government has not appointed any members to the Climate Change Trust Fund Board since the membership of all six previous appointees was revoked on April 24. Premier Andrew Fahie told …