The Virgin Islands formally joined a regional climate change programme aimed at improving land management this week.
The five-year, $14 million programme is funded by the European Union and managed by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, officials said Monday morning at Treasure Isle Hotel during a launching ceremony for the VI, Anguilla and Montserrat.
Until June 2015, when the first stage of the project is to end, OECS officers will be meeting with VI National Climate Change Committee members to identify priorities and targeting “quick wins,” like legal frameworks, said OECS Global Climate Change Alliance officer Chamberlain Emmanuel.
Mr.Emmanuel explained that the first goal is to create “an enabling environment” for protecting natural resources.
“We need to protect our land,” he said. For some countries, this might mean rewriting development laws, while for others it might mean setting aside protected areas.
Next, the programme will focus on education. For the public, that means a climate change risks awareness campaign, which has already started under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour and will continue through June during planned Environment Month activities.
See the June 6, 2014 edition for full coverage.
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