Madam Speaker,
I rise today on behalf of the people of Cat Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador, who have placed their trust in me to represent their interests in this Honourable House.
I am here, not just to address and relay their concerns, but to support and drive a legislative agenda that will provide real solutions to the problems we face as a nation.
And there is no problem we currently face that is greater than climate change.
Climate change is not a theoretical concern for our country.
It shows itself in eroding shorelines, in storms that arrive more frequently, stronger, and with less warning, and in ecosystems under strain from conditions they were never meant to endure.
These changes shape whether a fisherman can earn a living, whether a family feels safe during hurricane season, and whether a community can expect to thrive or see its prospects eroded by floodwaters.
For The Bahamas, climate change is not a forecast of the future.
We are already living in the midst of it. And unfortunately, we have already felt its sting.
Five years ago, Hurricane Dorian exposed the full cost of our vulnerability.
Far too many lives were lost and communities destroyed. The financial burden of recovery and rebuilding efforts still impacts us today.
Each storm, each flood, and each bushfire forces us to dedicate resources to repair damage we did not cause and restore lives that were derailed due to no fault of their own.
Our people have been casualties of climate change, and the reality is: no one is coming to save us.
We must save ourselves.
That begins with generating the necessary resources for recovery and resilience.
We’ve begun that process by changing our focus from disaster recovery to disaster risk management, which includes robust funding measures, insurance policies, and loan facilities to generate resources when disaster strikes.
We’ve also enlisted the support of hundreds of young people through the National Youth Guard, which strengthens our disaster response capacity while empowering youth with training and skills development.
But enhancing our disaster risk management efforts is only a part of the solution.
When we consider the billions of dollars in damages already inflicted upon our economy, and the long-term impact of a perpetual cycle of responding, recovering, and rebuilding in the wake of climate-driven disasters, it is clear that more must be done.
No responsible government can accept this cycle as sustainable.
Each disaster inflicts costs that become a debt our children are forced to repay.
The Bahamas contributes almost nothing to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet we experience the most severe consequences.
That imbalance defines the injustice of climate change, but it also explains why this administration refused to treat climate change policy as an obligation imposed on us by others.
We chose instead to treat it as a matter of national self-interest, which means the responsibility to protect our people falls to us.
So, while we strengthen our capacity to manage disasters, we are also working on a new national development and economic paradigm that integrates adaptability, resilience, and resource generation as fundamental components of growth and opportunity for our people.
Madam Speaker,
As one of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world, we have no choice but to innovate.
We must turn the challenges of climate change into opportunities.
Since taking office in 2021, this administration has pursued a climate agenda that connects environmental protection with economic security and long-term development.
We launched the New Energy Era transformation because dependence on dirty fuels not only weakens sovereignty and exposes households to costs they cannot afford, but also contradicts our stated goal of reducing emissions.
Fortunately, utility-scale solar generation will soon be a reality for New Providence, solar and hybrid systems are being introduced across the Family Islands, and energy efficiency upgrades to our grid are improving reliability while reducing waste.
These investments will generate savings and enhance climate resilience, as well as create opportunities for Bahamians to build skills that will remain relevant in a changing world.
This is just one example of how we will meet the challenges ahead of us in ways that support long-term economic growth and national development.
Madam Speaker,
Just as harnessing the power of the sun for solar generation leverages one of our natural advantages, we must also leverage the vast potential of our seagrass meadows.
This is critical, as The Bahamas is now recognised as having the largest seagrass meadow systems in the world.
These underwater ecosystems absorb and store extraordinary amounts of carbon and protect coastlines that communities depend on.
For too long, global markets ignored their value, and for too long, countries like ours paid the price for their oversight.
This administration chose a different approach.
We took the theoretical talk about the value of seagrass meadows, and we became the first nation to take the initial steps to make that theoretical value real.
Since then, others have rushed to follow our lead. But none have been as thorough, as science-based, and as committed in our pursuit of generating high-quality Blue Carbon Credits as we have. And when we go to market, we expect to be rewarded for our commitment to the highest standards.
We developed a blue carbon framework with a foundation of scientific credibility, and we established the National Emissions Registry so that transparency and accountability were foundational features of our approach.
It is past time the world recognises the valuable role our seagrass meadows play in absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.
And if they aren’t going to recognise that value on their own, then it is up to us to put in the work to establish and quantify that value in a way that the world cannot ignore.
But I want to be clear: we are not selling or unsustainably monetising our environment.
This value existed all along.
We are simply ensuring that the world finally recognises the value of our contributions, and we are setting up a framework that rewards us for continuing to protect our environment.
There is significant demand for carbon credits that represent genuine environmental benefit, and The Bahamas is positioned to participate in those carbon markets responsibly with safeguards that protect our national interests while generating significant revenues.
This is a game-changer that will make a major difference in our climate adaptation and resilience agenda.
The potential of Blue Carbon Credits represents Bahamian innovation and excellence at its best.
And it also directly challenges the age-old narrative that our nation lacks natural resources.
Sometimes, when others undervalue you, it’s up to you to make them acknowledge that value.
Through robust scientific data and a modern framework, we are making it clear to the entire world the important and valuable role we play in combatting climate change.
But this value isn’t new to us. It’s something Bahamians always believed.
You hear it all the time in the discourse on natural resources.
While many discussions on natural resources may lack specifics or be oversimplified at times, there is a common belief in our potential that resonates with many Bahamians.
This perspective is supported by what we see when we look around this beautiful nation: we see an abundance of untapped riches around us waiting to be used in a profitable, sustainable, and responsible way.
Blue Carbon Credits represent one way that this potential will be manifested.
Madam Speaker,
The Bills before this House give legal structure to the work we’ve done on Blue Carbon Credits.
The Climate Change and Environmental Advisory Unit Bill 2025 establishes the Climate Change and Environmental Advisory Unit as a statutory body, continuing its existing work while giving it clear authority, defined responsibilities, and permanent standing within government.
Under this Bill, overall responsibility for climate change and climate finance has been consolidated. This reflects the reality that climate decisions simultaneously affect public finance, infrastructure planning, national security, and international relations.
Fragmentation of responsibilities across multiple Ministries and agencies slows and weakens our capacity to respond.
Whereas consolidation within a single office allows for more efficient and effective action.
This Bill requires the development and regular review of a National Climate Change Policy, alongside a National Adaptation Plan, designed to reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience across key sectors of the economy.
These instruments guide how our government plans, invests, and prepares for climate change in a small-island context, where the cost of unpreparedness is measured in lives and livelihoods.
Through this Bill, we are also formalising inter-ministerial coordination by giving the Unit oversight of committees related to climate policy, climate finance, carbon markets, and sustainable development.
This ensures that climate considerations are integrated into decision-making rather than addressed after damage has already occurred.
A central feature of the Bill is climate finance governance. Climate Budget Tagging allows us to identify and track climate-related spending, while the Climate Change and Environment Fund provides a dedicated mechanism to receive and manage international climate finance, including grants, debt swap proceeds, and loss and damage resources. These tools strengthen transparency and help ensure that climate funding supports national priorities.
This Bill also clarifies The Bahamas’ obligations under the Paris Agreement by designating the Unit as the focal point for engagement with international climate institutions, including the UNFCCC, the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund, and the Fund for the Response to Loss and Damage.
This strengthens our ability to meet reporting requirements and access financing.
When it comes to Carbon Credits, this Bill provides governance and regulatory oversight for participation in carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
Under this Article, The Bahamas has committed to participating only in high-integrity, internationally verified carbon markets. This Bill authorises the development of rules for mitigation activities, oversight of market participants, validation of mitigation outcomes, and bilateral and multilateral carbon market agreements.
The Bill also places Action for Climate Empowerment at the centre of the national response, supporting education, training, youth engagement, and public participation. Because climate resilience cannot be built by institutions alone. It depends on informed citizens who understand both the risks they face and the role they can play.
Madam Speaker,
The second Bill before us, the Climate Change and Carbon Market Initiative (Amendment) Bill 2025 aligns existing carbon market legislation with this governance structure.
It transfers responsibility for international climate reporting under the UNFCCC to the Prime Minister, reflecting the whole-of-government nature of these obligations, while assigning financial administration of carbon market revenues to the Minister of Finance.
It also strengthens reporting relationships between the National Emissions Registry and the Prime Minister, ensuring clearer oversight and accountability.
Together, these Bills institutionalise and concretise climate change and carbon credit efforts within the government.
This is a significant step forward.
Because resilience cannot just depend on good intentions. It must be built into law. And we are ensuring that happens today.
Of course, we have arrived at this point with the support, expertise, and passion of a number of talented people.
The trailblazers at the Climate Change and Environment Advisory Unit at the Office of the Prime Minister have been instrumental in the progress we have made thus far, thanks to the efforts of Director Rochelle Newbold and her team.
I must also acknowledge the groundbreaking work being done by the professionals involved in the Blue Carbon Expedition: Ramon Munroe, Nathan Richardson, Janelle Wilson, Ericka Harris, Kenneth Christie, Kevon Knowles, Nelson Johnson, Adrian Phillips, Jamie Ferguson, and BJ Bindle all made invaluable contributions to our work. There is also Theshala Mills, the architect of the state-of-the-art Blue Carbon Laboratory in Exuma.
And then there is the work that the member for Mangrove Cay and South Andros has done to advance our national approach to Disaster Risk Management, as well as the work of Executive Chairman Storr and Managing Director Sargent at the DRM Authority. Thank you all for the work you’ve done to get us to where we are today.
Madam Speaker,
The challenge before us is immense, and no single legislation or initiative can take it all on. The forces driving climate change are global, powerful, and largely beyond our control.
But how we prepare, how we govern, and how we protect our people are entirely up to us.
We could continue with the policies of the past, reacting after disaster strikes and borrowing to rebuild what was already lost. Or we can build systems strong enough to reduce harm before it happens and smart enough to turn resilience into opportunity.
One path leaves us permanently exposed. The other gives us agency.
The long term, high-impact, and frequent damages caused by climate change test more than existing infrastructure.
It tests whether a nation plans only for the next budget cycle or for the next generation.
Our vision is multi-generational. That is why we are taking the time to do it correctly.
There can be no effective plan to build this nation without anticipating, preparing for, and leveraging the challenges posed by climate change for the good of our people.
Fortunately, this is nothing new for Bahamians.
We adapt because success has always demanded it.
We rebuild because community has always required it.
And we endure because this country was shaped by people who understood that resilience is a part of our identity.
I saw it growing up in Cat Island as my parents and grandparents made the best of what they had and poured it into me.
And I see it in every corner of this nation, as I speak to people who demonstrate their resourcefulness and ingenuity on a daily basis.
Climate change will continue to challenge us. Storms will come. Seas will rise. But if we govern proactively and remain committed to our long term success, history will not remember The Bahamas as a victim of climate change. It will remember us as a country of overcomers that not only survived but thrived.
I believe in the capacity of our people to make this happen. Because it’s what we’ve always done.
And this administration is now moving in proactive ways to give our people the best shot possible at thriving in this new era.
That is why, when I travel the world, I continue to speak up for our nation, and for small island developing states everywhere. My sole focus is on protecting our people at home.
The two Bills before us represent important steps toward strengthening our ability to adapt, build resilience, and ultimately make progress while saving lives and livelihoods from climate change.
We will continue to do the important work of establishing the foundation that will be the difference-maker for our prospects as a nation for generations to come.
My support for these Bills is in direct alignment with the achievements of this goal.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.