Dominica’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Francine Baron (Above) presenting the Climate Resilience Act 2018 for debate before parliament at the House of Assembly last Wednesday. (YouTube 2018).
Last week we saw the passage of the historic, Climate Resilient Act 2018 in Dominica. An act to formally establish the Climate Resilient Execution Agency of Dominica (CREAD).
I’ll be taking a look at the CREAD, and reflect on my progress with the T802-The Research Project.
why a research diary
Another name we could have substituted for diary could have been a journal or project log. Whatever methods you use to keep track of your thinking around a certain activity is recommended by The Open University. As you may be aware, my current theme on my blog, UniversityLite is a series of blogs called, My Dissertation Research Diary. As I explained, sharing my insights publically in a blog, serves many purposes:
- It provides an alternative space to save those great moments of insights
- It helps to create and formulate expressions that you may use later in your dissertation
- It acts as a showcase to potential resources who may want further information on my project.
- It keeps the grey matter ticking over and warms it up to take on the greater challenging of producing editing and finally submitting the 15,000 – word dissertation.
Arrows indicate the relationship between loops before moving on to the next step
I will return to this model in later instalments of My Dissertation Research Diary
CLIMATE RESILIENCE Act 2018 successfully passed in parliament
Dominica’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Francine Baron (Above) presenting the Climate Resilience Act 2018 for debate before parliament at the House of Assembly last Wednesday.
background
2017 was a bad year for hurricane damage in the Caribbean. 2 powerful and life-threatening hurricanes swept through the Caribbean islands leaving billions of dollars in damages and losses.
According to (En.wikipedia.org. 2018 ) “Hurricane Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Maria two weeks later, and is the second-costliest Caribbean hurricane on record, after Maria.”
Islands affected by Hurricane Irma:
Wikipedia added that at least 134 deaths had been attributed to the destructive winds of Hurricane Irma.
On September 18, 2017, Dominica became the first victim of the Hurricane Maria, a category-5 storm that carried with it sustained winds of 165 mph and devastated the country. 2 days later. Maria would go on to hit Puerto Rico on September 20th, as a category-4 hurricane leaving that island reeling from widespread devastation as well.
Below, I have created an infographic based on a news item featured on September 18th, 2018 on Marpin 2k4’s Channel 5 News to observe the first anniversary of the Hurricane Maria.
In that report, News Presenter, Julian Morris, shared extracts from a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) compiled by the World Bank in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Union (EU).
According to the report, the main objective of the PDNA was to present to the government of Dominica “a reliable estimate of the disaster effects and impacts of Hurricane Maria, and define a strategy to recover.” (DOMINICA_EX_SUM_webFF. 2018)
Dominica Recovery-infographic by author
CARICOM High-level conference
“The scale and frequency of the damages and losses means there is no commercial premium we could pay that would insure us against the magnitude of these injuries,” – Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit
At the CARICOM High-level conference for the reconstruction and Resilience of CARICOM Countries Affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria held in New York, November 21st, 2017, Dominica’s Prime Minister outlined his vision for a resilient Dominica saying, “The scale and frequency of the damages and losses means there is no commercial premium we could pay that would insure us against the magnitude of these injuries,” he explained to the meeting adding, ” Ultimately, the only route available to us is to build a nation resilient to climate change rather than to insure against damages and losses caused to one that is not,” he told his audience. He also said, “That is why we are committed to creating the first climate resilient nation. It is not an ill-considered promise; it is essential to our existence. We are prepared to be the game changer.” The Dominican leader said.
On Friday 9 March 2018, CREAD was officially launched with a Transition Committee announced for the Climate Resilient Execution Agency for Dominica (CREAD).
In April this year, a wide cross-section of stakeholders were invited to
the State House Conference Center to presented their own comments and suggestions as to the way forward to tackle Dominica’s response to the devastation caused by hurricane Maria at a National Consultation on Development Prospects for Dominica.
On November 28, 2018 the Government of Dominica hosted a consultation on the Climate Resilience Executing Agency of Dominica (CREAD) Bill 2018. And Wednesday December 12th, 2018, the Climate Resilience Ct 2018 was passed in the House of Assembly formally laying the legislative framework for the full operation of the CREAD
CREAD debated in the house
“The adversity caused by Hurricane Maria and climate change will not cause Dominica to break. Instead we will use it to cause Dominica to set a new record, and that record will be, to become the first climate resilient country in the world.” – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator, Francine Baron
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Francine Baron, who presented the bill on behalf of Prime Minister Skerrit, in her opening remarks said, “Under the astute leadership of Prime Minister skerrit, this government came out from that frightening and humble experience with a singular resolve that we had to do things differently. We could not return to a business-as-usual scenario. We know that what we are setting out to do will be difficult. At times it may even appear impossible. It will challenge us in a way very few things in the past. To raise our standards and change the way in which we operate., but we are confident we will rise to the challenge. and what better time than to hit that reset button to take on this task, than this the 40th year of our independence. ” , she said, adding “The adversity caused by Hurricane Maria and climate change will not cause Dominica to break. Instead we will use it to cause Dominica to set a new record, and that record will be, to become the first climate resilient country in the world.”
To be continued
ALBERT WILLIAMS Reporting 
My love Ras Albert ( Hon Natty Dread). Your work is thorough ,detailed , accurate and beautifl. It is much appreciated. Global awareness can readily connect the climate events across many regionstoward future research and. discoveries with the help of scholars like you. Blessings, wifey Tempie Williams
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