Sir Ronald Sanders has written a commentary EVERYONE should read. EVERYONE in the Caribbean and especially EVERYONE here in the Cayman Islands.

We have published it here today under
the title “Name and blame the polluters”.

The polluters are the countries who are
polluting our atmosphere and keep on doing so with no regard for
anyone. In the USA we have a stubborn President who is either brain
dead over the global warming problem and refuses to believe it is a
problem, or he has a an ulterior motive that belies his common sense.

Sir Ronald writes:

“The world is now set to storm its
way through the 2 Celsius limit set by the much-vaunted but
inadequate agreement reached in Paris in 2016.

“Small island states and countries
with low-lying coast-lands in the Caribbean and elsewhere are in
jeopardy. They ought to reject promises from the industrialized
nations and, instead, insist on concrete action to address the
looming danger. Accepting promises of future action does no more than
giving additional time for the industrialised polluting countries to
do nothing while conditions deteriorate fatally for small countries.

“In a recent report to the UN Human
Rights Council, Professor Philip Alston, the Special Rapporteur on
extreme poverty and human rights stated: 'Sombre speeches by
government officials at regular conferences are not leading to
meaningful action as States continue to kick the can down the road.
The essential elements of climate change were understood in the
1970s, and scientists and advocates have been ringing alarm bells for
decades. Yet States have marched past every scientific warning and
threshold, and what was once considered catastrophic warming now
seems like a best-case scenario'.”

Therefore, it is not just Donald Trump.
At least we all know where he stands on the problem There is no
problem. The other leaders speak the good talk, promise everything
including the kitchen sink, everybody claps, pats on the back, smiles
all around, and everyone goes home feeling warm inside.

It is very hot outside and getting
hotter..

Sanders: “A kind of 'climate
apartheid' is developing which will lead to rich countries insulating
themselves from extremes of weather while locking-out from their
borders people seeking to escape heat stress, vector diseases, lack
of water supply and little capacity to grow food.”

Sir Ronald asks this question: “What
steps are Caribbean governments taking to prepare for the hurricane
season? To what extent have hurricanes and tropical storms held back
Caribbean countries' economic growth and social development over the
years? What short-term and long-term measures should countries in the
region implement to better deal with the preparation for, and
recovery from, natural disasters?'.

Have you heard one of our elected
government MLA's bang their drums, go on the talk shows ranting and
raging, getting up in the LA and shaking their fists, etc. etc.? Oh,
yes. On every subject you can think of. Except our polluters.

Sir Ronald warns us , “Faced with the
challenges of living in current conditions, few persons contemplate
nightmare scenarios in what looks like the distant future. The
problem is that a future, determined by climate change, is no longer
distant. Across the world, nations are sleepwalking into the climate
catastrophe that lies ahead.

“Every time that representatives and
negotiators for developing countries and small island states accept
that a handout here and there from industrialized nations to 'build
resilience' is better than nothing, they merely postpone the hour at
which their countries will no longer be salvageable.”

Why are we silent about it? Why aren't
we rattling our sabers or more realistically waving our machetes? Why
aren't we organising another and more meaningful Peoples Initiated
Referendum on naming our polluters and making our government
answerable why they are doing nothing to save us from catastrophe?

I leave you with Sir Ronald's final
words:

“The governments of developing
countries, especially small ones, can't force the governments of
industrialised countries to pay, but they should at least trumpet
that grudging handouts are not reparations and declare loudly that
inadequate funding cannot sustain the future. Polluters should be
named and blamed.”

POLLUTERS SHOULD BE NAMED AND BLAMED!!!