News item | 08-11-2023 | 10:51
Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius will work with the cabinet on their own climate plans. The government is making 1 million euros available for this. This money is in addition to the resources already available for climate adaptation and mitigation. The islands can then start drawing up the plans, the aim of which is to have them completed in 2024. This can be read in the government’s response to the report ‘It is never too late’ that was sent to parliament today.
When making the plans, local circumstances are taken into account. For example, Bonaire wishes to work towards a climate plan via a climate table. Saba and St. Eustatius prefer to work on a plan immediately, given the limited size of these islands. Various actions are being initiated together with the islands. Such as involving residents in the climate plans, formulating additional knowledge questions and ensuring good information provision. The main goal is the creation of three supported climate plans for the islands in the Caribbean Netherlands in 2024.
The 1 million euros to start working on the climate plans comes from the Ministries of Infrastructure and Water Management, Economic Affairs and Climate and the Interior and Kingdom Relations. This amount will be formally determined in the spring budget and is in addition to the more than 33 million euros that is already available for making electricity production more sustainable on all three islands. The government has also committed to providing a single point of contact that supports the islands with coordination between the various ministries involved. Discussions will be held in the coming months on how this should take shape.
State Secretary Van Huffelen: “Recent climate scenarios show that Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius are confronted with the consequences of climate change now and in the future. Such as sea level rise, increase in severe storms, rising temperatures and degradation and loss of vulnerable coral reefs. My colleagues Rob Jetten (Climate and Energy) and Mark Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management) and I would like to support the governing councils of Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius in tackling the challenges in the areas of safety, health, social security and the economy. and biodiversity they face as a result of climate change.
Mr Nijpels has been asked to provide advice on the organization of a climate table on Bonaire and the applicability of such a setup for Saba and St. Eustatius. The next cabinet will decide what the implementation of the new climate plans will look like and what additional resources will be made available for this purpose to the Caribbean Netherlands.