Minister Roban On Climate Change Report
“Climate change is no longer a distant threat—it is affecting Bermuda today and it is projected to continue with potentially far-reaching consequences for all of us who call Bermuda home,” Minister of Home Affairs Walter Roban said in the House of Assembly today [Nov 29].
The Minister said, “Recent events have highlighted the unprecedented shifts in our weather patterns and seasonal conditions. For example:
- September saw the second-wettest day on record, contributing to 2023 being the wettest year on record.
- We are experiencing increased flooding in low-lying areas.
- The frequency of major storms impacting our region continues to rise, as evidenced by Hurricane Ernesto this summer, Bermuda’s eighth direct hit this century.
- Ocean temperatures and sea levels continue to increase year on year.
“Although Bermuda’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is minimal, our vulnerability to the impacts of climate change is significant. As a small island state, our geographic isolation, limited resources, and reliance on critical coastal infrastructure, such as the L.F. Wade International Airport, key roadways, and power systems, place us at heightened risk. Issues such as saltwater intrusion, coastal erosion, and storm damage jeopardise our homes, businesses, and economy.
“Climate change is the defining issue of our time. By acting now, we can safeguard Bermuda’s natural beauty, economy, and way of life for generations to come,” the Minister added.
The Minister’s full statement follows below:
Mr. Speaker,
I rise today to share with this Honourable House and the listening public a significant step forward in Bermuda’s commitment to addressing one of the most critical challenges of our time: the impacts of climate change.
Mr. Speaker, the world is changing faster than many anticipated. While future generations—our children and grandchildren—will bear the brunt of climate-related impacts, we already see clear signs of this change here in Bermuda. Recent events have highlighted the unprecedented shifts in our weather patterns and seasonal conditions. For example:
- September saw the second-wettest day on record, contributing to 2023 being the wettest year on record.
- We are experiencing increased flooding in low-lying areas.
- The frequency of major storms impacting our region continues to rise, as evidenced by Hurricane Ernesto this summer, Bermuda’s eighth direct hit this century.
- Ocean temperatures and sea levels continue to increase year on year.
Mr. Speaker, although Bermuda’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is minimal, our vulnerability to the impacts of climate change is significant. As a small island state, our geographic isolation, limited resources, and reliance on critical coastal infrastructure, such as the L.F. Wade International Airport, key roadways, and power systems, place us at heightened risk. Issues such as saltwater intrusion, coastal erosion, and storm damage jeopardise our homes, businesses, and economy.
Climate change is no longer a distant threat—it is affecting Bermuda today and it is projected to continue with potentially far-reaching consequences for all of us who call Bermuda home. We stand at a critical juncture and must act decisively to protect and preserve our island for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, In March 2022, I reported to this Honourable House that: Firstly, the Government had commissioned a comprehensive study, Bermuda and Climate Change: Impacts from Sea Level Rise and Changing Storm Activity, which was to be conducted in collaboration with Smith Warner International [SWI] and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office [FCDO]. The purpose of which was to assess Bermuda’s vulnerabilities to rising sea levels and intensified storm activity; and
Secondly, the Ministry of Home Affairs had formed an interministerial Climate Change Taskforce [CCTF] to provide oversight to SWI as they undertook this study. This Taskforce comprised representatives from key ministries and departments, including: The Ministry of Home Affairs – which oversees the Department of Energy, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Public Works; The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transport, the Cabinet Office which oversees the Department of Planning; and the Bermuda Weather Service’s then Director, Dr. Mark Guishard. Dr. Guishard is now the Chief Operating Officer of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences [BIOS] but he has remained committed to the Taskforce in his new role, and for this we are truly grateful for his expertise.
Mr. Speaker, At the outset of this initiative, the Government recognised the importance of a coordinated and strategic approach to effectively tackling climate change. By unifying efforts, we aimed to reduce duplication across Ministries and other organizations, enhance understanding of ongoing initiatives, and leverage the extensive expertise available across various sectors.
I will take a moment to thank the Ministries involved, their technical officers, along with Ms. Rozy Azhar, the former Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Home Affairs, for their dedication to this critical project.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the resulting report and related resources has been shared with the public and is now available on the Government Portal at gov.bm/climatechange.
I urge all members of this Honourable House, and the entire Bermuda public, to review the findings of this comprehensive study. There are four extensive technical parts to the study, but there is a shorter, more easily readable Executive Summary of the report that is also available.
This is a wide-ranging study – the first of its scale undertaken by the Bermuda Government – and one that, thanks to the UK Government’s commitment to Bermuda as an Overseas Territory, has not been a drain on our public purse.
Mr. Speaker, SWI, who are based in Jamaica, have extensive experience working in many other small island jurisdictions, including other British Overseas Territories such as the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos. They have also previously undertaken similar work in Bermuda, for the Department of Planning, in 2004 with their report on coastal erosion, making them an ideal choice to undertake this important work.
The SWI reports, provide in-depth analysis, assessment and understanding of the potential effects of climate change on Bermuda using the latest data available from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate [UNIPCC] and through their own local assessments to:
- Produce a vulnerability assessment for major infrastructure such as the airport, ports, public highways, the electricity generation plant, subterranean utility cabling, the Tyne’s Bay incinerator, and sewage management systems;
- Identify the likely effects of sea level rise from an ecological perspective on Bermuda’s waterways, inshore ponds, and marshes;
- Map projections for inundation, identifying both low-lying coastal areas that will be periodically or permanently inundated by seawater, and low-lying freshwater resources that could be impacted by saltwater intrusion;
- Identify Government infrastructure and facilities located at or close to the shoreline that are at risk from erosion or inundation;
- Identify agricultural areas vulnerable to saltwater inundation and to soil salinization, within the context of food security and continued ability to cultivate fields;
- Update coastal erosion and flood inundation projections for the offshore islands, bays, beaches and dunes, especially during storms and hurricanes;
- Understand the effects that coastal erosion and sea level rise will have and their potential impacts on waterfront development;
- Identify coastal areas prone to hydraulic erosion and/or destabilization of the cliff faces for the island shoreline areas; and
- Identify critical infrastructure that will be at risk over the near, medium and long-term time frames.
Additionally, the report identifies significant risks for Bermuda’s existing built and natural environment including:
- Some two thousand one hundred and thirty [2130] of Bermuda’s buildings, some six per cent [6%], face some level of risk, with 326 classified as highly exposed.
- Critical areas, including major roadways, the BELCO plant, and the airport, are at risk.
- A staggering 96 per cent of our coastal reserves require protection.
Finally, the report recommends adaptive measures, such as shoreline advancement, submerged breakwaters, and land reclamation which are available and which will need to be undertaken. Whatever of these strategies we undertake, they must of course balance protection with the preservation of environmental integrity.
Mr. Speaker, to address these risks we will be establishing an expanded Multi-sectoral Climate Change Task Force. Given the serious threat that climate change poses to every single person in Bermuda, this taskforce will include members of the public, private and third sector. It will be tasked with:
- Assisting in the creation of a National Action Plan for Bermuda, and prioritized recommendations for action;
- Public Education and Outreach, by launching an awareness campaign to foster community understanding and engagement. This will include meetings with stakeholder groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the construction industry, engineers, surveyors, and environmental groups;
- Legislative and Policy Adaptation, ensuring both the Bermuda Plan and Bermuda Building Codes are amended to include considerations for climate resilience; and
- Instituting Nature-Based Solutions, with continuing investments in ecosystem restoration, such as mangrove and coral reef rehabilitation which reduce storm surges and erosion whilst also preserving biodiversity.
These efforts will be coordinated by a dedicated project manager to provide support and strategic guidance to our inter-related initiatives.
Bermuda, Mr. Speaker, has an opportunity to lead by example. As a global hub for climate risk and insurance expertise, we can model resilience and innovation for other small island states. Collaboration at every level will be essential as we work to secure resources and solutions.
Mr. Speaker, I again urge all members of this Honourable House and the entire Bermuda public to read the report. It is available at gov.bm/climatechange. There is also a dedicated email, climatechange@gov.bm for questions and comments.
Climate change is the defining issue of our time. By acting now, we can safeguard Bermuda’s natural beauty, economy, and way of life for generations to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Category: All, Environment, News
THE WEATHER.
For years the topic of conversation in England has usualy been complaints about the Weather as they rarely see the Sun due to the heavy Gulf Streem clould cover .
The Gulf Stream is partly to blame fo UK weather patterns as it ends its journey up in Scotland where you will see Palm Trees growing along the shore line.
Ireland, is most likely noted as the greenest island on the planet resulting from their large amount of annual rainfall .
Liverpool and Manchester gets repeated Gails through out the entire winter .
Bermuda is most fortunate by having the Gulf Stream, a large meandering ocean current which provides us with a variable abundance of seasonable prevailing wind and rainfall drawn from the Gulf of Mexico.
We should be thank full for such small mercies.
The fact that we have rain which is responsible for and contributes to the wind that for us is a blessing, .
Without the rain this island would not be habital.
Yesterday before the rains came there was flat calm.
Weather is some thing that we can not do much about if any thing .
However the Sun through out the seasons is with out doubt a controlling factor .
The Amazon rain forest is a testament to that.
At 4.00 PM Florida gets down pour
The sarah desert which was once a lake reflects change .
Unfortunately our variable hurricane season reflects the fact the weather is some what changable possibley do to a phenoma know as * Sun Spots which can be violent on a regular eleven year cycle . which disrorts and reduces AM .radio treasmissions
* ( Extra large Sun explosion )
THE CHANGING OF THE TIDE.
Going back to to the reign of king Canute afectionately known a Cnut who died in 1035 , took his throne down to the seaside on an incoming tide and “Comanded to sea to turn back ” only to be unsuccessful , because his time was off, YES ?
Stop with the facts! Governments worldwide need an excuse to lower our standard of living, create more taxes, wealth transfer, and assert more control over our lives to save the planet.
This is all about money and control. As stated in a November 13, 2010, interview by former United Nations climate official Ottmar Edenhofer: “One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with the environmental policy anymore, with problems such as deforestation or the ozone hole,” said Edenhofer, who co-chaired the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change working group on Mitigation of Climate Change from 2008 to 2015. “We redistribute de facto the world’s wealth by climate policy,” said Edenhofer.
Got that? Said in November 2010, “We redistribute de facto the world’s wealth by climate policy,” said Edenhofer.
Now recall from my earlier posts that 95.8% of climate policies FAIL! 95.8% FAILURE RATE!
Fast forward to November 2024!
Climate Doomers Slam $300 Billion a Year Funds Transfer from West as ‘Paltry’
Environmental negotiators at the U.N.’s COP29 climate alarmism summit issued their once and final demand Sunday for a $300 billion a year pledge from wealthy countries to gift poorer countries between now and 2035.
It falls short of the $390 billion that economists commissioned by the United Nations had deemed a fair share contribution by developed nations. – Breitbart November 24, 2024
And remember, none of these people pushing for our money can define “climate change.” 95.8% of climate policies FAIL!
Dear Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Roban, why do you, government officials, and environmental organizations constantly use “climate change” WHEN NOT ONE OF YOU CAN DEFINE IT? Not one of you! But “Climate change is the defining issue of our time.”
Oh, right, so the Government can justify purchasing 13 new electric cars – to save the planet!!! What else will the Government justify doing? Electric cars for department heads? One for every Permanent Secretary? A Climate Change Tax? A Meat Tax? A Cow Tax and a Bean Tax to reduce methane emissions?
Is the sea level rising? Really?
- Bermuda has only one NOAA station measuring sea level that has not been certified for years. If my memory serves me correctly, the last time it was certified the Margin of Error was at least +/- 17%. Would that Margin of Error increase or decrease over time? (trick question)
- NOAA’s 2017 5-year sea level prediction report was so bad that the 2022 5-year report LOWERED Florida’s 2030 high sea level rise estimate by 46.1%. LOWERED BY 46.1%!!! The reason for the difference, as stated by NOAA, is that the data is now “better.”
- The Vanishing Islands that Failed to Vanish, NY Times, June 26, 2024. In a stunning twist of fate, nearly 1,000 low-lying tropical islands once considered doomed are now GROWING IN SIZE, defying dire predictions of their demise. “Researchers stunned after analyzing nearly 1,000 ‘vanishing’ islands: ‘I’m not sure we really knew what we would find’” “Yet when researchers analyzed decades of aerial photos and satellite imagery, they discovered an amazing trend: MOST ISLANDS HAVE REMAINED STABLE OR EVEN INCREASED IN AREA.”
- After gravity, tectonic plate shifting is the most powerful force on earth – and ignored by the IPCC, NASA, NOAA, and the USGCRP as a reason for any worldwide rise and fall of sea levels.
Flooding? Please stop insulting our intelligence. How about keeping the storm drains and ditches clear, and the pumps maintained and working to minimize flooding?
The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” – President Ronald Reagan
In the first major study of its kind, researchers from several European institutions analyzed 1,500 climate policies implemented (between 1998 and 2022) across 41 countries since the turn of the century. ONLY 63 WERE FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE.
THAT MEANS 1,437 POLICIES (95.8%) WERE FUTILE & FAILED. A meager 4.2% success rate would put most companies or organizations out of business or get someone fired. Such low rates of return are troublesome, but somehow, governments can get away with it. – RealClear Energy, “Most Climate Policies Are Pointless But Costly” by Kristen Walker, September 23, 2024
Observed Results of policies:
Brownouts/blackouts
Child labor for mining
Energy poverty
Environmental damages mining rare earths
Higher energy bills
Higher food costs
Increased cost of living
Increased housing costs
Inefficient energy infrastructure
Inflation
Loss of agricultural land
Loss of forests
Shortages of resources
Strain on the electric grid
Wasted taxpayer money
Wildlife deaths – birds, bats, whales, dolphins, etc.
For those who do not follow “climate science.”
Dr. Michael Mann—the Godfather of Climate Change:
- the media’s go-to climate science guy
- the creator of the Hockey Stick graph used by Al Gore & the IPCC to prove Anthropogenic Global Warming (human-caused) is real
- the self-proclaimed 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner
- litigious against those who called him out but refused to pay costs when he lost to Dr. Ball (Ball died broke from legal expenses and his wife had to do a GoFundMe drive to pay for funeral costs
- potty-mouthed (Michael Mann, posted on Twitter, now X, May 8, 2023: I’ve said before, climate deniers are HORRIBLE people. Typically bigoted, xenophobic, racist, misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic…,)
- and rabid Trump hater.
Predicted 33 hurricanes for 2024.
We had 18.
FYI. Mann did not win the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize and was not fired by the Univeristy of Pennsylvania for repeatedly making that claim, even in a US Federal Court lawsuit. Neither Al Gore nor the IPCC verified Mann’s Hockey Stick research. The Hockey Stick was debunked by Dr. Ball and other scientists. Dr. Ball died broke on September 24, 2022, without receiving the court-ordered costs from Mann. Legal costs depleted Dr. Ball’s savings. The family set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover the costs of his modest burial.
Naturally, the mainstream news media fails to report any of Dr. Mann’s shortcomings and still promotes him as a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner!