Column: Simmons On World Environment Day

[Column written by PLP Chairperson Dawn Simmons]

Today, as we mark World Environment Day, we pause to reflect on the fundamental truth, that our environment is our shared responsibility. We are blessed to live in Bermuda and is incumbent upon us to be good stewards of this island home.

For the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party, protecting the environment is not new. We believe in. Bermuda that is clean, healthy, and sustainable Bermuda. Thatmeans ensuring that every child can swim in clean waters, every family can breathe clean air, and all of us can withstand the globally changing climate.

Since taking office, the PLP has:

• Introduced Bermuda’s first Integrated Resource Plan to grow our island’s use of renewable energy over the next 25 years up to 85%.
• Planned Marine Protected Areas through the Blue Ocean Prosperity Plan, one of the most ambitious ocean conservation efforts in the world.
• Converted our public bus fleet to electric vehicles, reducing pollution and advancing our goal of 100% electric public transportation by 2030.
• Passed legislation to strengthen environmental protections, including reforms to the Clean Air Act and Water Resources Act to crack down on pollution and protect our natural resources.
• Promoted green jobs and are transitioning government buildings to use renewable technologies while laying the foundation for a modern, sustainable green economy..
• Commissioned Bermuda’s first renewable energy 6MW solar plant facility at the airport.
• Provided greater protection for animals by widening the investigative powers of animal welfare officers.
• Established the Energy Policy Steering Committee to ensure we are building a future based on resilience, affordability, and sustainability
• Elevated Bermuda’s voice on the world stage, including participation in the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum, sharing our vision for a fairer, cleaner future with regional partners.

A lot of progress has been made, but we are not done. The fight for environmental justice is a global fight for survival, as well as a struggle for greater economic fairness, access to affordable, quality healthcare, long-term solutions to housing everyone, and sustainable population growth.

So today, let us recommit ourselves to protecting Bermuda, not just for us, but for the generations to come.

- Dawn Simmons, PLP Chairperson

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Category: All, Environment