EDITORIAL
Our brothers and sisters in neighbouring Caribbean islands hit by hurricanes Irma and Maria are in the rebuilding stage. Dominican Prime Minister has said that this is an opportunity for his country to rebuild sustainably and to become a model as the ‘world’s first climate-resistant nation in the climate change era’; Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne shares the same sentiment. These two leaders have a bold vision, but more than that it is a practical one. As their experiences have shown us, it’s time that we in the region put measures in place that help minimise the impact of such dangerous weather systems.
Onlookers have followed the tribulations of those pummelled by the hurricanes’ wrath with great sympathy. We have also reached out with financial aid, donation of commodities and even hosting several schoolchildren so they can continue their education. However, nothing quite prepares one for imagining a country totally decimated, where not only the physical structures have to be rebuilt from scratch, but also where a functioning economy that depends on agriculture and tourism must be stimulated. It is sobering to envision that the entire agricultural products of a country were obliterated by high winds and rains. It is not something that we should take lightly; indeed, reconstruction of these islands is estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The effects of a warming world have been laid bare in the these serious environmental disasters and as a small island developing state we can ill afford to think we will always be so fortunate. How can we incorporate sustainability into our existing and future building?
Sustainability entails less reliance on fossil-fuel power and more investment in alternative, natural sources of energy which not only save foreign exchange, but enable countries to re-establish communications quickly after an initial impact. Sir Richard Branson, who was on his private island in the British Virgin Islands when both hurricanes passed, echoes Prime Minister Skerritt’s view that now is the chance for islands to be examples of being climate smart. It also means building homes that are designed to withstand as much of nature’s fury as possible. A Chinese company has offered to build in Barbuda a new town, which would house several high-rise apartments that can resist winds of more than 200 miles per hour. Government is also looking to establish a modern agricultural sector in the form of a sustainable agro-industrial complex.
As the governments of Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda have realised through the tragedies and losses of natural disasters, rebuilding a country from scratch is not just a matter of replacing what was once there. It means building better with the understanding that it cannot be as vulnerable to the elements as it once was. Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres has seen firsthand the social upheavals that climate change can cause and supports the visions of Prime Ministers Skerritt and Gaston Browne, but he notes that it will necessitate ‘thinking out of the box’, and financial support from the international community. If we as small islands bear the brunt of climate change, as Guterres and many others believe, it is only fitting that we lead the charge to retool our economies and our countries, pushing for a future that may have more natural disasters than ever before.