By: Hannah Reid

The Ministry of Sustainability & Climate Resiliency is encouraging the Cayman Islands community to provide feedback on the draft Climate Change Policy by the public consultation deadline this Friday, 30 June.

The draft Cayman Islands Climate Change Policy 2023-2040 aims to build resiliency against the most severe climate risks, position the country to take advantage of low- or zero-carbon economic opportunities, and protect the important services provided by our unique natural ecosystems.

Ministry of Sustainability & Climate Resiliency Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn said: “I want to thank everyone who has already submitted feedback on the draft Policy to our team, whether by attending one of the seven townhall meetings held across all three islands, calling into one of our radio appearances, taking the digital survey, emailing [email protected], or participating in a focus group. I encourage anyone who has not already done so to please review the draft Policy and provide your feedback to our team by 30 June.”

In addition to the information found on the Climate Change Policy microsite and Public Consultation Hub webpages, the Ministry has also recorded a virtual presentation of the draft Policy on its YouTube channel.

Senior Policy Advisor Environment & Resiliency with the Ministry Lisa Hurlston-McKenzie said the feedback on the Policy has been overwhelmingly supportive.

“Based on the feedback we are receiving, the Cayman Islands community is largely supportive of the need for a climate change policy that will help our islands navigate the serious challenges posed by sea level rise, increased air and sea temperatures and more intense rainfall events and tropical storms,” she said. “We have received some very constructive insights that will help refine some of the proposed strategies. The community understands the impacts of the status quo on their health, their cost of living and their quality of life, and they want to see our islands move towards greater climate resiliency and a more sustainable economy while protecting our environment. Overall, the feedback has been clear that this policy is something the Cayman Islands urgently needs.”

In the final week of public consultation, Ahearn confirmed the Ministry is completing a series of targeted stakeholder focus groups with key local sectors such as real estate, planning and development, financial services, reinsurance, tourism and education.

“These meetings are important to ensuring collaborators in the public, private and non-profit sectors feel the proposed strategies meet the stated goals, are workable and start discussions that will feed into implementation planning, which will begin as soon as the Policy is approved,” she said.