Can you live sustainably on a small island?

Sustainable swap items

 

Going plastic free or living sustainably is the goal of many these days. Living in large metropolitan countries where you have choices, options, varieties, alternatives, OK I suppose you get what I’m trying to say…

There are no package free stores here in Saint Lucia. There are no reliable alternatives unless of course you are willing to pay the price by ordering off of Amazon, Ebay or whichever company’s site that will provide you with a suitable alternative.

Then there is the never-ending dilemma with regards to bottled water. I drink tap water so that is not a problem for me unlike some who cannot or will not drink tap water. But there is another problem. Water is not always available from the Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) and of course when you’ve used up the bit that you have stored, you have no alternative but to buy bottled water.

If you want to lessen your plastic use on a tropical island in the Caribbean Sea where recycling is a dream and something people just talk about, where there are no regulations to deal with the upsurge of single use plastics, where some of your compatriots seem to not give two hoots about how they dispose of plastics and waste in general and can’t even think of eliminating some forms of single use plastic from their lives if you haven’t realised it yet, you’ll definitely quickly figure out that it ain’t easy.

Added to that, the alternatives are not easily accessible-they are far away and more expensive (no free shipping to the Caribbean). Then of course there’s the guilt involved in purchasing items online to help you with lessening your environmental impact at home because getting that sustainable alternative ironically has its own carbon footprint which unfortunately is also wrapped in plastic (face palm).

Let’s not forget the stares and the questions haha. This part I don’t mind as they present a learning/teaching opportunity.

But umm yea. Seems like a daunting task and completely useless but hey I still do believe we all have a responsibility to MOTHER EARTH and the gift she is. Despite the ‘challenges’ the upside to it all is that once you’ve made the switch to a sustainable alternative, you don’t now have to indulge in more unsustainable practices and you’re now making a positive contribution to the present and future of Saint Lucia and the planet.

We have a responsibility to conserve and protect the gem of an island that we’ve been blessed with. Go out there in nature –to the rainforest, the rivers, streams and waterfalls, the mangroves and beaches and experience it. Sadly, not one of these beautiful features has been left untouched by our collective negligence and destructive behaviour.

I’m not willing to pass the buck and I hope that you can take a small step and commit to doing your part to reduce plastic use although the problem may not only be plastic.

What is your IMPACT?

Who cares about sardines?

 

These photos were taken some time ago and if you were to just look at them, all you would see are roasted sardines. If you were to engage in deeper thought you would maybe start thinking about the future. Sardines and the future? Really? A future with no sardines. So many things have been taken for granted over the years but with the impacts of climate change already being felt by Saint Lucia and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), even the ‘insignificant’ sardines are important.

Roasted sardines and climate change, one would ask: What do they have in common? Nothing. Everything.

In islands like Saint Lucia and other islands in the Caribbean, South Pacific and AIMS regions, fish form an essential part of the diet of many. What link if any does this have with climate change?

Sardines are a great food source with very high nutritional content. In small island countries, 50% of animal protein comes from fisheries and aquaculture and climate change will affect the availability, stability, access and utilization of all aquatic products. Worldwide fisheries support about 200 million livelihoods (Cochrane, K. et al (eds). 2009). Can we continue to ignore the implications for our fisheries sector?

Can island people imagine living and not being able to enjoy those delicious fish recipes? Sardines, green fig and saltfish, fish broth, roasted fish, fish in garlic sauce or creole sauce, fried fish, lobster, fish fillet, crab, shrimp, conch, red snapper, flying fish, bake and shark, fish eggs- the list is extensive. On a personal level many of us may find it quite hard to imagine what life would be like without a readily available supply of all of fish.

SIDS and other developing countries face many obstacles on the pathway to attaining holistic development. Coupled with overfishing, climate change may put even more strain on an already vulnerable sector. When one adds the additional obstacle of climate change impacts on the fisheries sector, then, how this affects poverty levels, employment, and food security, become great concerns.

In a publication (The Economics of Adapting Fisheries to Climate Change) by the OECD in 2010, the uncertainty of when impacts on fisheries will occur, the kind of changes expected and the extent of the impacts on global fish stocks are highlighted. This is a cause for concern for economies as small as ours, which are very susceptible to external shocks.

So just imagine a world with less sardines or NO sardines. NO FISH!! It’s about livelihoods. It’s about employment. It’s about food security.

So are sardines still not important?

 

Link to newspaper version: http://thevoiceslu.com/2017/10/who-cares-about-sardines/

 

Sent Lisi: nou tout pè

I listened to a good bit of what both sides had to during the protest march and public meeting which took place less than 2 weeks ago and at times like these sometimes I wonder if Saint Lucia would have been better off without independence. Awa wi.

The SLP is reaping the ‘rewards’ of its neglect (perceived or real) of Vieux Fort. The UWP is trying its best to ensure that the stronghold that the SLP has on the south disappears in quick fashion and almost literally salivating at the prospect of kicking the SLP where it hurts the most. The SLP, I feel, is quaking in its boots at the possibility. Too little too late from a party which held the reins of power for a total of almost 15 years and a party which occupied seats in parliament for Vieux Fort North, Vieux Fort South and Laborie for over 25 years. More should have been done to ‘represent’ that part of the country and communicate to the people so that they would know what was hampering the ‘development’ of the south. It just seems that the same persons who complained about little to nothing being done for Micoud North when Sir John Compton represented that constituency for ‘forever’, were doing the same to Vieux Fort South.

 That is not to say though that the SLP shouldn’t demand that the current Government provides certain assurances to the people of these constituencies. The UWP shouldn’t use this opportunity to laugh in the face of Vieux Fortians who did not vote for them nor ignore the rest of the country to make a ‘point’.

 I was disappointed with the PM. With all the roro surrounding DSH I expected that the UWP would articulate clearly to let all Saint Lucians know-not just to appeal to his party base (who are already sold on the project), the truth about all the misconceptions, confusion, hearsay, etc which they said was being spread but a lot of what I heard was “Kenny Anthony’s” name being mentioned way too many times. It was tiring and nauseating. Was that a litany of the rosary, where you repeat Kenny’s name at the end of each prayer? You’d swear the man was still PM.

 Guy Joseph is another kettle of fish. I have no issues with you wanting to provide unemployed Saint Lucians with jobs but don’t tell me that you do not understand the concept of doing so in a sustainable fashion and basically making a mockery of and belittling those persons who are concerned about the natural resources we have left who want to ensure that they are used in a manner that would guarantee use and enjoyment for future generations. It saddened me listening to him making light of people’s concerns.

 These are not the years of the construction of Pigeon Island causeway when we were ignorant and unaware of the impacts of such ‘developments’ on the environment and livelihoods. This is 2017 where Saint Lucia, one of the most vulnerable Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to the impacts of climate change, has to make decisions which will not further expose it to its devastating impacts. The need to protect reefs, mangroves, sea grass beds etc cannot be overstated, nor undervalued as the long-term survival of our nation is directly linked to these resources. Just think about what a 1m rise in sea level will do to Saint Lucia’s coastal infrastructure, our ports, our villages, the hotels on the coast we are hell-bent on having.

 Then there’s the continued fixation on tourism. Both past and present Administrations are guilty of this. I wish I could sit with both the former and present PMs and Ministers with responsibility for the Tourism sector to speak to them and ask them if they truly believe that the only way out of the mire that we are in, is to continue to build hotels. When do they believe, in their own estimations, will be a good time to pause, reflect and think about where we are going. I want them to tell me how truly sustainable tourism is. What kind of destination is Saint Lucia? Are there no opportunities in agro-tourism and eco- tourism? Is agriculture dead? Is manufacturing dead? Are there no opportunities in research? What about sports?

 I want them to also tell me if they believe that our nation is destined to ‘serve’ people and not create our own businesses. I want to know too regardingthe concessions and exemptions being given to foreign investors, whether the very same cannot be done for Saint Lucians.

I’m not sure we achieved anything of significance yesterday except further division and partisan blindness. Politicians from SLP and UWP and those who have dabbled in both camps have sought to sow division like its running out of style and the populace has drank the kool aid hook, line and sinker. Sadly, like the song “split in di middle” we are literally and figuratively split. It’s a sad state of affairs in Sent Lisi. Both sides are shouting “yo pè” while the actual phrase may well be ‘nou tout pè’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The climate change negotiator

Some people make you believe that the life of a diplomat or  one who is always on a plane going to some country, to some conference or the other is some glamorous affair. Many times we barely understand the purpose of all these ‘missions’ but from the perspective of a climate change negotiator especially during COPs, one can’t help but appreciate the work that these negotiators are doing. I believe that one must truly have a passion for this type of work. Our delegations are tiny compared to the large delegations from the United States, China or the European Union for example. Our negotiators sometimes carry multiple roles. There are long days and even longer nights.

Exactly a week before the milestone Paris Climate Change Agreement was adopted by 196 countries on 12th December 2015, I had the opportunity to speak with Saint Lucia’s lead negotiator Crispin d’Auvergne. He was able to shed some light on communicating the information coming out of the negotiations to the general public and the life of a negotiator.

From left to right: Sen. Hon. Dr. James Fletcher (Minister/Head of Delegation), Kimberly Louis (First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Saint Lucia to the United Nations), Dawn Pierre-Nothaniel (Loss & Damage Expert), Crispin d’Auvergne (Lead Negotiator) and William Hare (Advisor). Photo Credit: Ministry of Sustainable Development (08/12/2015)

Crispin d’Auvergne: The negotiations are pretty complicated. There are many streams of work happening at the same time. It would not be practical to have to explain every single stream of work. Nobody is an expert on every aspect of things. Many of us have a good overall grasp and specialize in certain areas. Nobody is an expert on every aspect of the Convention.

The important thing would be to communicate the main outcomes of the negotiations- unpacking what the key decisions are with respect to certain aspects. For example: one of the areas which is critical is the long-term global temperature goal, that is, by how many degrees do we want to allow the world to warm. Right now we are in the region of 1.0°C and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have been talking about 1.5°C. Some countries are speaking about 2.0°C. It is a question on whether both are referenced or whether one or none is referenced. What is the impact or the difference with 0.5°C of warming? What happens with climate financing? What is going to happen with mitigation ambition? How much are countries going to pledge to reduce their emissions to meet the temperature goal and to ensure that our chances at sustainable development are not completely destroyed? These are some of the key things that we will have to unpack from the decision and disseminate.

Snaliah Mahal: The Ministry cannot do everything. It does not have the capacity to be on the ground and take the message out to rural communities for example. How exactly do you see your Ministry being able to collaborate with civil society and other organisations in trying to bring that message out?

Crispin d’Auvergne: The Ministry has capacity under certain initiatives. It does some of that work but as you quite rightly stated, it does not have the capacity to  do everything. In addition to that, I think it would be desirable that it not do everything because climate change is a phenomena (a problem) that affects everybody. It’s not a problem for the Government- it is a problem for all Saint Lucians.

The Ministry would serve as the primary source of information that can be disseminated through media, youth groups, other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society, the private sector who can then take it and diffuse it to their respective constituents. The Ministry can definitely play a facilitating role in that regard.

I believe that the Ministry by implementing or undertaking initiatives to tackle climate change on the ground is a very important way of communicating. It shows that the Government is serious about tackling climate change and  demonstrating some of the actions that can be taken to address climate change.

Snaliah Mahal:

1. What do you see happening in the last week?
2. On a more personal level, as a negotiator how does this whole process affect you, other negotiators?

Crispin d’Auvergne: By tonight the work of the negotiators would have finished. The technical aspect would have been done. The decisions would have been adopted at our level and ramped up to the Political level for the Ministers to consider and to finalise. There is a lot of language and text in there that is not finalised. Some of it is still under discussion. It is incomplete in the sense that not all Parties have accepted it. The Ministers will have to deliberate  on that and try to broker consensus where they can.

As a negotiator, we know that we have to provide the support to our Ministers. It is not going to be any less busy. Very often the COPs do not end on the scheduled date, they go over by a day, day and a half even two days in some cases. I know for sure that we will have to put our shoulders to the wheel and try to fulfil  our responsibilities. I know it is going to be a long slog but it is a matter of having the courage and fortitude to persevere.

Snaliah Mahal: You have CARICOM support

Crispin d’Auvergne: That is quite correct. Saint Lucia is not doing it alone. We are part of CARICOM. We are part of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). We are part of G77. Equally, you have to bear in mind that one of the reasons why it is so complicated is that even within those groups you have to try to find consensus. Sometimes huge countries are trying to find consensus and there are small countries all within those groups but they have different needs, different priorities.

All that glitters definitely isn’t gold.

© Snaliah Mahal

An interview with the Minister with responsibility for climate change in Saint Lucia on youth,women and what happens after COP. (part 2)

Date: 5^th December 2015        Location: Wider Caribbean Pavilion

(Transcribed)

a continuation from part 1 of the interview

Snaliah Mahal: We don’t know what the decision is going to be yet but do you have any thoughts on what will happen after COP?

Dr. James Fletcher: To be honest, I have been so preoccupied with what is going to happen at the end of COP, I haven’t even thought about after COP but it is a very good question. There are two processes. There is the pre 2020 process, because remember, one of the things that the COP will do is give us an agreement that will come into force in 2020. There are things that must happen between now and 2020 because if everybody decides that we have an agreement, we’re happy, let’s go on with ‘business as usual’, it means that you have a 5 year period where mayhem can take place.

We must keep our eye on what happens in the pre 2020 period and that is where Workstream 2 of the ADP process comes in because the ADP process has 2 workstreams: Workstream 1 that looked at producing an agreement for Paris and workstream 2 which looked at pre 2020 actions. It is very important for us to keep our eyes on pre 2020 actions, that we keep up the pressure on countries to embark on greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions reductions, we keep up the pressure on countries to provide finance because the pledge for finance is $100 billion annually from 2020, using 100 billion as a floor. But we need money now so countries in the Caribbean with very limited fiscal space need access to funding now. If you look at a country like Dominica which this year had probably its entire GDP wiped out in the course of 24 hours by Tropical Storm Ericka. This is not a category 1, category 2 or category 3 hurricane, it’s a tropical storm. If you look at Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and Dominica in 2013 with a trough outside of the hurricane season with so much death and destruction, we need access to funding now climate change adaptation.

After COP we have to put pressure on the climate finance institutions: the Adaptation Fund, the Green Climate Fund and all the other funds, including existing ones like the GEF, that they can start providing the sort of funding that we need for climate change adaptation. We also have to try to accelerate through access to funding our own efforts to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, our carbon footprint as minimal as it would be, as it is although we are not major contributors to GHG emissions, there is a big opportunity for us to transform our economies by moving to a renewable energy framework for energy production and reducing the cost of electricity. That is a great opportunity for us to stimulate our economy. We have to ensure that the work that is being done on loss and damage by the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage and the Executive Committee, that has a framework up to 2016, that that work produces the sort of information, empirical data that will inform how we treat with loss and damage in the post 2020 period.

There are many things that have to be done post COP. We also have things to do domestically, in our own jurisdictions because not all of the impacts that we are suffering are caused by climate change. We have to make our own development more climate resilient. We have to start doing things differently in agriculture, in land use planning, in so many different sectors, to make ourselves more climate resilient. I think really, there is a lot that we can do. We also have to not lose sight of the fact that this year was a watershed year not just for climate change but earlier this year we had the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction that countries signed on to; the Financing for Development coming out of Addis Ababa that is supposed to provide the funding for development in the post 2015 period and also the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of which climate change is one.

We have to ensure that we have national mechanisms that will allow us to execute all of these and not forgetting something we are very quick to forget-the Samoa Pathway for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that was agreed last year. I think that there is a lot on our plate and making sure that we have the right institutional mechanisms, making sure that all our agencies are talking to each other and  that we do not operate in silos, the way we operate by default and strengthening also our regional institutions so that they can provide us with the level of support. We cannot do this at the national level. It has to be done on a coordinated regional level. I think all of that is what must occupy us.

© Snaliah Mahal

An interview with the Minister with responsibility for climate change in Saint Lucia on youth,women and what happens after COP. (part 1)

Photo Credit: Dr. James Fletcher (04/12/2015)

Date: 5^th December 2015        Location: Wider Caribbean Pavilion

(Transcribed)

Snaliah Mahal: How are the negotiations going?

Dr. James Fletcher: The negotiations are not going as well as I am. They are going slowly. We have a draft text in front of us which seems to have very many brackets and options still in it. So it means there will be quite a bit of work for Ministers to do over the next few days.

Snaliah Mahal: Which means sleepless nights for you…

Dr. James Fletcher: Which means sleepless nights for all of us. That’s what the COP is all about.

Snaliah Mahal: What is your opinion on youth participation at conferences such as these and how from your experience at various COPs, (in terms of Saint Lucia) has been the overall youth participation?

Dr. James Fletcher: We’ve had young people on our delegation before but the issue with the COP and I think it is something that is not very well appreciated by many people is that the COP is  culmination of negotiations that start long before the COP itself. So if you are coming to the COP for the first time, as your initiation into the climate change negotiations, you may probably be lost at sea because there will be first of all discussions you’ll not be party to that took place before, that took us to this particular point and to get the proper context and to understand the history but it is almost like a long-running soap opera; because there are decisions that build up on decisions that build up on things that were done before and it’s not like you start from scratch every single time.

I guess for youth to be really integrally involved in the COP process we would have to have them involved in the negotiations themselves-the negotiations that took place this year in Bonn, in Geneva where texts were being discussed, where issues were being formulated. If you really wanted to have proper youth participation, it should have started back then.

It is not to say that youth participation in the COP itself is not useful, it is useful because one: you get the opportunity to express your views, an opportunity to network, you get the opportunity through the Parties to the Convention (they are the only ones who negotiate, not the Observers). You get the opportunity to try to influence texts. If you see texts you, you can say this is deficient, you should try to have something in there that speaks to  youth or speaks to an issue that is dear to the hearts of young people. But really it would be better if we had young people on our delegation from the very beginning so that you can ensure that the text is youth friendly and even if we don’t have young people on our delegation, that the text can be shared with you so that you can be aware of what’s going on and within your own groups you could have some comment on how we can shape it so that it is more youth friendly.

Snaliah Mahal: Do think that there is some value in having mock COPs?

Dr. James Fletcher: The COP is bad enough. I don’t think you ever want to mock a COP.

Snaliah Mahal: At least some kind…There is the mock UN Model so…

Dr. James Fletcher: The UN is a tame creature compared to the COP.

Snaliah Mahal: The COP is a beast by itself?

Dr. James Fletcher: Yes. The COP is a beast by itself. The COP has a dynamism that I don’t think anybody can appreciate unless they come here. Just the sheer magnitude of this and the number of people who are here and you see sometimes people standing around and you wonder whether they’re associated at all with any of the negotiations and they are. There are people who are providing support. There are people who are standing by just so that they can review a particular piece of text and see whether it makes sense, whether it violates some principles that they have.

It is kind of difficult to simulate a COP but I think what needs to happen is…if we can put some mechanisms at home for some level of consultation so that young people, NGOs, others are apprised of the situation as it evolves and can make some comment and make some contribution so that you can input into the process before it gets to the point of a COP decision at a particular COP or in this case a climate change agreement.

Snaliah Mahal: It is said globally that women make up the most vulnerable sector. In the Caribbean, do you see women at the same level of vulnerability as women in Asia for example who have historically been disadvantaged?

Dr. James Fletcher: I wouldn’t say the levels of vulnerability of women in the Caribbean are the same with women in Africa or women in Asia, clearly not but that does not mean that women are not particularly vulnerable and more vulnerable than men. Remember that the vulnerability of women is at two levels- one at the individual level but also at the family level. And extreme weather events affect individuals, they affect families and the woman is always the one or usually the one who has to take care of the family. Any level of dislocation, the woman usually bears the disproportionate share of that burden. For that reason alone, you would say that women have greater levels of vulnerability than men where extreme weather events, where climate change is concerned.

There must be some sensitivity for us in the Caribbean, even if we don’t have the same levels of disempowerment of women in our region that we have in some of other regions. We to be sensitive to the fact that there must be gender sensitivity in the things that we do and the measures that we take in addressing climate change.

 (to be continued…)

© Snaliah Mahal