Ms. Angela Burnett-Penn says the VI must make environmental changes to save itself. (Mrs. Penn at the HLSCC Marine studies Campus on June 7, 2012) Photo: Javon Liburd/ VINO

Government’s Climate Change Environmental Officer Ms. Angela Burnett Penn, who serves on the committee of the Climate Change Adaptation Policy, said small islands in the Caribbean such as the Virgin Islands are on the frontline of Global Warming.

Addressing Ministers of Government and other persons who serve on different conservation boards at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) Marine Studies Campus on June 7, 2012, Ms. Penn said being on the front line of Global Warming, the VI will experience the worst impacts and will experience them sooner than other territories.

Referring to the Climate Change Adaptation Policy, she stated that it sets out a clear route for the Virgin Islands (VI) to adapt to the diverse and costly impacts of climate change and to mitigate the countries carbon emissions, thereby achieving a low carbon climate resilient development.

She said that carbon emissions are the root of climate change or the problems that are affecting Global Warming.
“As small islands and a Caribbean on a whole, we contribute less than one percent of the total carbon emissions that adds to global warming,” said Ms. Burnett-Penn.

She stated that other than that fact, if the information is looked at from a ‘Per Capita’ point or on a basis of individual responsibility as a person, organisations, businesses and governments, then the Virgin Islands is equally as important as the countries that are often blamed, such as China.

She noted that in the Caribbean, Trinidad along with other small territories are ranked as #6 in terms of per capita production of Carbon emissions.

“If we are going to be a small island asking big countries to make changes in terms of how they use their energy, so that we can save our small country ... the VI must be able to make changes as well in efforts to save itself."