Firewall Surrounds Debt For Climate Change Project

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Environment Articles

Monday, 16 July 2012 02:30

By caribarena news

There appears to be a firewall around the coastal zone management initiative proposed for Antigua’s first debt for climate change exchange program.

Agriculture Ministry and Environment Division personnel are all ignorant as to what exactly is in the pipeline.

Agriculture Minister Hilson Baptiste had successfully lobbied earlier this month in Rio for Antigua & Barbuda to benefit from such a program as part of its debt reduction drive. The agreement was reached during a Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) organized climate change consultation.

However, when Caribarena.com contacted Senior Environment Officer Ruleta Camacho and her Chief Environment Officer Diann Black-Layne, neither could share any information on the $18 million initiative.

According to Wendy Tittle, Press Secretary for Minister Baptiste, too many details cannot be divulged about the proposed initiative at this time, as the ministry is “still waiting on some documents.”

Presently, Minister of Agriculture and the Environment Hilson Baptiste is said to be off island and it is expected that when he returns some details of the project will be made public.

“When he comes back it will be discussed further,” Ms. Tittle said. “I would prefer to leave everything to be discussed by the minister.”

Earlier this month, Brazil had agreed to a deal with Antigua & Barbuda that would see the exchange of millions of dollars in debt for action on climate change. According to Minister Baptiste, the twin island state’s initial debt to Brazil stood at $36 million, but negotiations by Finance Minister Harold Lovell saw that tab being reduced to $22 million, and then to $18 million after further talks.

Baptiste said Antigua & Barbuda is getting on board with the Nature Conservancy, a global climate change organization, to take advantage of its debt for climate adaptation swap. The body is expected to pay off Antigua & Barbuda’s $18 million bill while the country gets forcefully involved in coastal zone management.

This initiative was initially revealed at the beginning of July, but with zero details on its planned implementation.

Sources close to the Environment Division have revealed that the government has until the end of 2012 to put their proposal in writing and have it before the Nature Conservancy.

The document will carry with it serious weight in the eyes of the United Nations and other global organizations pushing for environmental conservation, and if the country were to default it would have serious repercussions.

During a fisheries regulations consultation last week Minister Baptiste reportedly revealed some aspects of the proposal that is supposed to see the protection of at least 20 percent of Antigua’s “near-shore waters”. The problem at this point though, is what defines near-shore waters as the debate continues in this regard.

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“They are going to protect 20 percent of Antigua’s near-shore waters or coastline by 2020. But the definition of near-shore is still up for debate, so that could mean a lot of different things,” the source said.

Minister Baptiste had also revealed an idea to have several daily boat patrols as part of enforcement efforts, but environmentalists are skeptical about this considering existing practices and the fight to have current regulations signed.

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