Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 24, 2018 (SKNIS): Stakeholders from the public and private sector in the St. Kitts-Nevis engaged in discussions on matters relating to climate change and its impact on relevant sectors during a recent launch of the third National Communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as its First Biennial Update Report.
The event was spearheaded by the Department of Environment in collaboration with UN Environment and the Global Environment Facility (GIF). June Hughes, Acting Director within the department, said that it is critical that the work of the Department of Environment continues in collaborating meaningfully with the relevant sectors in addressing the challenges that affect all.
“We are here to offer you advice and opportunities to assist us in producing your carbon footprint which will help us in turn to use our country’s emissions. We are here to assist you all in adapting to the impacts that each and every one would have to face as the world’s temperature continues to rise,” said the acting director, who noted that climate change is a clear and present danger and all must get involved to assist in mitigating the threat. “The grim realities of climate change and its potentially crippling impacts are well-known to us. We continue to ration water in another dry season which highlights that we are not getting enough rain in the rainy season and we bare witness that when it does rain it’s a short heavy shower that simply runs off and fails to adequately penetrate the soil,” Ms. Hughes added.
Minister with responsibility for Environment, the Honourable Eugene Hamilton, shared similar sentiments and said that all need to bond together to help mitigate the threat as the world’s climate is changing and it promises to change at faster rates.
“The risk and the impacts associated with the changes are real and are already happening in many systems and sectors essential for human livelihood including our water resources, changes in food security, changes in our coastline zones and even in health.
The environment minister said that climate change presents the single biggest global threat to sustainable development and its “unprecedented impacts disproportionately burden the poorest among us”.
“It therefore goes without saying that urgent action to halt climate change and deal with its impacts is integral to the successful implementation and realization of the Sustainable Development Goals. It also goes without saying that pursuing climate change action and sustainable development in an integrated and coherent way offers the strongest approach if we are to quickly achieve our objectives.”
The third National Communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the First Biennial Update Report are projects designed to facilitate the mainstreaming of climate change concerns into the sectoral and national development priorities, through the strengthening of technical and institutional capacity.
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