Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Davis led a press briefing at the Disaster Risk Management Authority on Monday where he addressed a number of issues including Tropical Storm Imelda, the death of the Late Hon. Vaughn Miller and his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
During his address to the international body Mr. Davis refuted claims by US President Donald Trump that climate change is a hoax. He emphasized that the effects of climate change and the cost of rebuilding after hurricanes is real for The Bahamas.
“Watching multiple storms gathering in the Atlantic last week it was clear to me that our advocacy for The Bahamas on the world stage continues to be critical. It has yielded some good results and we need to keep fighting. At the United Nations, where I was, I carried your voices into one of the world’s great halls and I reminded the world the Bahamians are living on the front line of a changing climate,” Mr. Davis said.
The Prime Minister continued his remarks saying that scientific studies confirm that waters are warming which is driving up the intensity of storms. He said, “every major storm leaves behind damage that government must repair. Roads are washed out, schools and clinics are ruined, homes and docks are destroyed. Rebuilding just to get back where we started is a necessity, not a luxury.”
Mr. Davis revealed that recent storms such as Hurricanes Dorian, Joaquin, Matthew and Erma cost the country $6 billion in damages. He said, “cleaning up after each storm means new borrowings. Year after year, hurricane after hurricane our debt rises as we rebuild what was already built before. While we are busy fixing what was lost lenders are factoring our climate risk into their interest rates which means it is more expensive to invest in the things we need, from better hospitals to new industries to stronger infrastructure to withstand stronger storms.”
According to Mr. Davis the climate change realities are also being factored into insurance premiums causing them to be higher. He said this is the trap that climate change sets for countries like The Bahamas.
