On 22nd April 1970, Earth Day was first officially recognised in the USA primarily due to the efforts of US Senator Gaylord Nelson, who witnessed the massive oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, the year before. Inspired by the student anti-war effort at the time and concerned about the deteriorating environment, Senator Nelson highlighted this issue through the creation of Earth Day.
It was such a success that the Environmental Protection Agency was created later that year, and by 1990, Earth Day had gone global, with 200 million people worldwide participating. Considering the means of communications available at this time, this was a fantastic accomplishment.
Fast forward 52 years and Earth Day is now the most prominent secular event on the planet, with over a billion people in over 190 countries participating.
Statements made at COP26 and in other international public forums recognise that Bermuda, along with other small island states and developing countries, will be disproportionately affected by climate change.
Climate change, particularly rising sea levels, will pose a significant threat to our island home. For example, we are expected to experience extreme weather events in Bermuda within the next twenty-five years. Events that typically used to occur once every one hundred years are predicted to happen every year. These include more frequent and more intense storms, higher sea levels and tides, and increased and intense but less predictable rainfall. Additionally, Bermuda faces the threat of significant changes to its marine ecosystem, including our protective coral reefs that encircle the islands and saltwater intrusion into our freshwater lenses, which may result in critical reductions in our water supply.
Our infrastructure, including but not limited to our airport, solar finger arrays, public highways, cruise ship ports, some hotels, and energy production and distribution, is under threat. The land we live on, particularly in low-lying areas such as beaches that are important for our tourism industry, is also threatened. And so, we must continue working towards addressing climate change because the total of these impacts can severely affect Bermuda as we know it.
To that end, the departments under the Ministry of Home Affairs have been instrumental in promoting renewable energy and protecting our environment.
Last November, we announced that Bermuda became the first Overseas Territory to join the Blue Shield Programme. Blue Shield will help us monitor activity within Bermuda's maritime domains to ensure environmental regulations are met and, where necessary, take enforcement action against non-compliance.
Also, in our last fiscal year ending 31st March 2022, we secured a grant from the UK Government, which is funding our climate study.
The study will make predictions with a projection timeline for best- and worst-case climate change scenarios over short-, medium- and long-term time frames.
Other initiatives include the Department of Energy, working alongside the regulatory Authority to introduce the Energy Regulatory Sandbox. It will encourage new renewable energy technology developers to invest and test their products in Bermuda, providing jobs for Bermudians and giving us access to the latest technologies.
We will also work toward introducing a Green Energy Environmental Justice Fund that will provide residents across the island the capital needed to invest in renewable energy solutions.
Also, given the interrelated issues of plastics, climate change, ocean pollution and human health, the elimination of single-use plastics remains of critical importance. We will continue consulting with retailers, grocers, and importers to determine how to implement realistic, financially viable solutions.
If we all commit to working together and making every day an Earth Day, collectively, our small steps will leave a big footprint that will make a huge difference in addressing climate change.
Earth Day is important to Bermuda, and this Government appreciates the work of local environmental advocacy groups regularly coordinating activities to advance education and awareness on environment protection issues. There is a role for every resident to play in protecting and reversing damage already done. Let us all continue to embrace approaches to advance the care and protection of our natural environment.
On behalf of the Government of Bermuda, I wish everyone a Happy Earth Day.