London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

'Greedy capitalists paying no heed to Climate Change' - Premier Fahie

'Greedy capitalists paying no heed to Climate Change' - Premier Fahie

With the Bahamas still grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian that ravaged the country in September of 2019, Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie says now more than ever, the region and especially the British Virgin Islands must focus on building resilient economies to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The Leader of Government business made the utterance during his opening statement, when the Seventh Sitting of the First Session of the Fourth House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands commenced today Thursday, October 17, 2019, in Road Town, Tortola.


Empathise with the Bahamas

Turning his attention to the state of affairs in the Bahamas, Hon Fahie said, "If anyone can empathise with the people of the Bahamas, we the people of the Virgin Islands can, because only two years ago we faced what they are facing at present... their situation is worst because the latest death toll from Dorian is 61 confirmed fatalities with about 600 persons still unaccounted for and they are dealing with a spill of about 1.5M gallons of oil from a damaged storage facility."

According to the Premier, every year storms are growing more unexpected due to a change in weather patterns for the worst and he says the region must, therefore, be prepared for anything.

"We are witnessing more powerful storms and hurricanes being formed, they are developing in more rapid succession... their behaviour is unusual and unpredictable often deviating from the forecast models [and] are more destructive," he said, noting that modern storms are defying known science and redefining it.

Premier Fahie pointed out that the Virgin Islands now has 'a front-row seat' to the destructive vicious cycle of climate change brought about by global warming, rising ocean temperatures and melting of ice in the polar region.

As a result of this, he said the region is now taking steps to do all that it can to protect the environment by building awareness and using international forums to keep the topic on the front burner.


Buiding resilient economies

"Regional leaders, including myself, and using every available forum to bring urgent attention to this situation that places countries like ours at the greatest immediate risk, but greedy capitalists in other so-called more developed countries are paying no heed as they continue to pump pollution and carbon into our atmosphere and oceans."

The Premier pointed to a September 23, 2019, presentation at the United Nations (UN) by Prime Minister of Barbados, Hon Mia A. Mottley where she was allotted an extremely limited time to speak on the topic of climate change and the Caribbean, yet interrupted, as an example of callousness to the subject by the developed world.

"Would you believe that the moderator tried on 6 occasions to cut off Prime Minister Motley before she could complete her statement, that is how they treat us as small counties," he said noting that three minutes was hardly enough to speak on such a vast issue even as the region accounts for less than 1% of global greenhouse gasses.

"These are some of the reasons why we in the Caribbean are now living on the edge and having to deal with the kind of trauma we faced when Hurricanes Irma and Maria ravaged us two weeks apart in 2017 and this is why as we continue the work to recover, we have to become more resilient."

Premier Fahie said moving forward, better economies will be designed as in the case of the VI, "Not just in terms of building infrastructure that can withstand strong hurricane winds, but resilient in terms of the diversity of our economy, the equipping of our people with skills that will reduce or remove their vulnerability to shocks."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×