PM Skerrit bemoans lack of appreciation for the environment

Skerrit believes climate change is a threat to regional way of life
Skerrit believes climate change is a danger to regional way of life

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has called on citizens of the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to have a better appreciation of the environment and the real impact of climate change on their way of life.

Speaking at the Third Meeting of OECS Ministers with Responsibility for Environmental Sustainability earlier this week, he said he believes that regional governments are way ahead of citizens in advocating the importance of the environment and the issue of climate change.

“My hope and prayer are that our citizens, school children, and wider community can have a better appreciation of the real impact of climate change on our way of life,” he said. “It is costing us millions of dollars to put in place mitigation mechanisms to combat the effects of climate change.”

He pointed it out that beaches in the region are being eroded, undermining the vital tourism industry.

“If those beaches are being affected how are we going to sustain the tourism industry?” he asked. “I think people have to start appreciating the real danger to our way of life, the impact and the effects of climate change. My hope is that our citizenry can catch up with the leadership of the countries and understand and appreciate the importance of the environment.”

He went on to say that the OECS leaders must ensure that its citizens appreciate the importance of the environment.

“The wanton littering in our countries, the indiscriminate felling of trees with nobody planting back trees, the pollution to our rivers and our beaches,” he stated. “This is why in Dominica we are going to take a very strong stance on these things.”

Skerrit explained that his government is not only going to strengthen legislation but also will put systems in place to ensure that those who break environmental laws are brought to justice.

“This is why we will be having a magistrate sitting to look specifically on the issues of environmental matters,” he noted.

Meantime, Health and Environment Minister, Dr. Kenneth Darroux said the meeting of the council of ministers come at a very pertinent time.

According to him, Dominica has updated its national bio-diversity strategy and action plan and successfully completed a sustainable land management project with a strategy for 2017.

“The government has also adopted the low climate change resilience development strategy in 2012-2020 which outlines sectoral and national intervention to mitigate and adapt the inevitable effects of climate change that will create employment by diversifying and growing our community,” he explained.

The Council of Ministers meeting is a key mechanism for OECS protocol members to collaborate with national, regional, and international institutions to assist the governments and their national partners to secure and maintain the technical, financial and human resources required to achieve the cited goals and targets, as agreed under Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Basseterre.

Copyright 2012 Dominica News Online, DURAVISION INC. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

Disclaimer: The comments posted do not necessarily reflect the views of DominicaNewsOnline.com and its parent company or any individual staff member. All comments are posted subject to approval by DominicaNewsOnline.com. We never censor based on political or ideological points of view, but we do try to maintain a sensible balance between free speech and responsible moderating.

We will delete comments that:

  • contain any material which violates or infringes the rights of any person, are defamatory or harassing or are purely ad hominem attacks
  • a reasonable person would consider abusive or profane
  • contain material which violates or encourages others to violate any applicable law
  • promote prejudice or prejudicial hatred of any kind
  • refer to people arrested or charged with a crime as though they had been found guilty
  • contain links to "chain letters", pornographic or obscene movies or graphic images
  • are off-topic and/or excessively long

See our full comment/user policy/agreement.

23 Comments

  1. JoJo
    May 9, 2016

    Have we forgotten that the Royal Princes cruise ship left the island early on friday 13 March last year because of toxic smoke pollution caused by tire burning at the landfill? Was anyone ever held to account for this? It is over a year later now but I would ask the P.M. to deal severely with the people, who caused this environmental disaster to happen. That would be a very strong message and show that he is serious. Thank you.

  2. Good To Go
    May 9, 2016

    alas he does get blows these days eh. Allu finally seeing through him? Allu well late, we warn allu long time.

  3. what is this!
    May 7, 2016

    . You want to tell other Countires what to do and you don’t do it in your country? Dominica’s environment is so dirty with old vehicles lying all along the road side . Kennith Darroux is minister of environment, They allow the chinse to dump all the soil they remove while excavating the road above Rodney’s rock onto the sea shore killing all the coral reef. This place would have been one of the best area for snokeling. You talk about environment. But isn’t there an environmental co ordinating unite? What hapen to this organization? The environment is no longer imlortant? Is there a co ordinator? We don’t hear much about them.

  4. Carol Freel
    May 7, 2016

    The “Government” is not going to SAVE YOU! The government is NOT going to SAVE YOU! Get it? You all voted this guy into office, now get off your backside and do something different to SAVE YOURSELVES. Quit all the whining and crying and do something different than what you’ve been doing for the past 200 years. The government wants you to be stupid … you’re easier to control when you’re stupid. Get up, Stand up … do something besides whine – and I don’t mean twerking. Learn something and then learn something else until you’re dying day. Get up, Stand up, Stand up for your rights as a human being and stop depending on The Government to save you … it aint going to happen.

  5. A. George
    May 6, 2016

    Enforcement is a must… we need to really fine people, nut just put up a sign… also I think educating children would help as they could also influence each other and their parents. Adults are hard to change.

  6. papa
    May 6, 2016

    I no that’s not part of the deal but custom duty on transport is to high pm please look into that the country is depending on custom to run shame on u all

  7. drink your own vomit
    May 6, 2016

    You are not serious. Where have your dimples gone? Did you add them to the increasing number of portholes that are all over the place.? They are in all shapes and sizes and depths. You tricked the tax payers. Road maintenance, my foot! You have money wasting all over the globe and Domnichien stay cranana.

  8. enough is enough
    May 6, 2016

    oh yes you are concern about the Island?? so why don t you not ban the plastic bags in D/a?

    • lavidou
      May 6, 2016

      you dam right !! I know a person who import these biodegradable bags in D/a and she is not getting any help at all from the official !! what a shame!!

      • enough is enough
        May 7, 2016

        facebook.com/100percentgreen

    • Anonymous
      May 6, 2016

      Styrofoam containers even worse. Have you seen what is produced when you burn them. Toxic fumes that kill people. Biodegradable containers are readily available. Stop the import of these containers our claim to nature island is not false.

  9. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    May 6, 2016

    “Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has called on citizens of the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to have a better appreciation of the environment and the real impact of climate change on their way of life.”(Roosevelt Skerrit).

    More hogwash, more bleeping sweet sounding rubbish talk; what can you that Mountain Chicken Crapo mentality Indian doctor of nothing; one who paid sixty thousand dollars to an non-accredited school for an honorary degree which is simply a piece of worthless paper only to be called doctor.

    What can you a man who claimed to have graduated as an English major in America, but was awarded a PhD in psychology on graduation do about climate change? Shut up!

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahaah!

    The problem with climate change originates within the worlds giant pollution producing country China! Since they are your friends tell them to stop polluting the world; hence the warming of the earth will subside!

  10. Rocky Hills
    May 6, 2016

    The Spin Master is trying his web of trickery…..

    isn’t the Cabrits part of Dominica’s unique environment?
    this dude is a classical player…sad to see that dominicans aren’t free from mental slavery
    under this dude’s reign dominica is the poorest in the eastern caribbean…

    but the foolish ppl in dominica still turn and vote for him….

  11. cameron
    May 6, 2016

    Skerrit who are you to speak about the environment,the constituents that support you are the dirtiest,take a look @ Mahaut,Canfield and the contaminated river in st,joseph,where your minister Kelvar has his boys throwing oil into the river,its a shame,clean up firt then give a speech.Sickening to the stomach Skerrrit.

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      May 6, 2016

      Tell that Mountain Chicken; that Crapo Roosevelt Skerrit; all the decaying garbage in the streets of Roseau produces a type of pollutants in the atmosphere which contributes to Global warming.

      Tell him all of the outdoor pit holes filled with decaying feces and water around the island also contributes to Global warming!

      Tell him when the country is developed economically, where people can work to earn money to build homes, which contains indoor flush toilets, and he builds a network of sewer system to get rid of the flushed feces, that will help to curtail the effects of global warming.

      Tell Skerrit when he stop running into some bush and squat his big black backside and let go the mess from his big belly which rise under him like cake, global warming will end oui!

      Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahah!

    • Tjebe Fort
      May 6, 2016

      Yes, what about these so called garages, put up without planning approval, dumping old oil and other toxic material right onto the soil., rivers and ravines the mess at Donkey beach, and right next to the runway, what used to be a playing field at Canefield, the unauthorised scrap yard in a residential area in River estate. All right on the doorstep of the chairman of the Canefield urban council and passionate supporter of the Prime Minister himself. Come again and talk about appreciation for the environment garcon. I really getting mad now.

  12. BETTER OF RED THAN DEAD
    May 6, 2016

    WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT, ISN’T GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION POLUTING THE RAIN FOREST

  13. Dominican
    May 6, 2016

    Sounds like he was on a begging mission again. If I were the E.U. I would not give him a penny more until and unless we have clear accountability of how the money is spent. It will not be our poor who suffer because they have nothing already but the boys and girls on the gravytrain financed by gullible foreign tax payers. He has to learn his lesson.

  14. Not a herd follower
    May 6, 2016

    Skerrit and his Cabinet are among the biggest violators of the Physical Planning Act. So much for his talk on protecting the environment. SMFH

  15. Floridian Diaspora
    May 6, 2016

    Every time that man open his mouth you can never hear the single most important thing that Dominicans want to hear which is about job creation. When he speaks it is usually about something that does not have any immediate direct impact on the broke jobless poor peoples’ lives. It’s not like his broke passport selling agency government have anything positive to contribute to climate change anyway. He said that “If those beaches are being affected how are we going to sustain the tourism industry?” Is he talking about the same tourism industry that his regime already killed? We are so underdeveloped that our island is looking the same way it did 200 years ago meaning that we are already green. There’s almost nothing to preserve in Dominica because hardly anything was ever built in this place. Leave that to the thriving tourism islands to talk about. Is not like our underdeveloped island have a set of factories polluting the atmosphere anyway?? DCP just close down under you; remember?

  16. passing cloud
    May 6, 2016

    I have no time to read Skerrit’s lies and propaganda. I am not interested in what he says because there is never truth and sincerity in anything he says, and that contradicts what my mama taught me when I was growing up.

    In the interest of all Dominicans I would like Skerrit to open this link and assure us that Dominica will not be implicated.

    http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/panama-papers-us-launches-crackdown-on-international-tax-evasion/ar-BBsH5CR?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=LENOVODHP15

  17. AAGabriel
    May 6, 2016

    He is going to take a strong stance on this! Don’t make me laugh! You, your government and your police force do not even manage to perform a simple task, namely collecting the road license from vehicle owners. This is the easiest tax to collect but you can not even manage that. Instead you punish the few that are actually paying with an additional $100. Don’t try and sell us more stale fish.

  18. Titiwi
    May 6, 2016

    I sincerely hope these are not mere words but that we will see a translation into real action without delay. First of all, enforce the laws already on the books! Illegal dumping of waste, slaughtering of turtles, construction without proper supervision or even without permit., noise pollution, building to close to river banks, illegal felling of trees. proper garbage collection, especially of white goods. All these things can be tackled immediately without waiting for new legislation. Please mr. Skerrit, put your money where your mouth is.

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

:) :-D :wink: :( 8-O :lol: :-| :cry: 8) :-? :-P :-x :?: :oops: :twisted: :mrgreen: more »

 characters available