CLIMATE CHANGE DAY OF ACTION
“Effect Change Before Change Affects You! / Pwen douvant avant douvant pwen-w!”
Roseau, Dominica Nov. 28th, 2015 (Botanic Gardens)
"Erika changes everything”. Time for bold new ideas and time for Dominica to teach the world about resilience! We have to prepare for the “New Normal” for bigger storms, more rain and crop failures.
While Dominica does not contribute as much as larger countries to Climate Change we still need to reduce our carbon emissions and to and set an example for the world on how to succeed and prosper using all of our skills, cooperation and resilience. We are world leaders when it comes to working together as a community to rebuild and to thrive. It is the smaller island countries, that stand to lose most as the climate changes and worsens and sea levels rise, if we do not become proactive. We in Dominica have just had an early taste (Tropical Storm Erika) of what Climate Change will bring to us.
The United Nations have set November 30 to December 11 2015 for the "Conference of the Parties (COP21)”, the 21st such meeting of all governments of the world, this time to set legally binding limits to the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) in an attempt to prevent the world from heating to more than 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels. This warming would have devastating consequences for humanity. Around the world, people and groups like ours are staging similar events to raise local awareness of Climate Change so when world leaders meet in Paris at COP21 on November 30, they know that the world is watching and understanding the importance of negotiating the right global climate deal.
We here in the "Nature Island of the Caribbean" will register a world presence by coming together on November 28th in Roseau. A wide cross-section of individuals and groups have come together to organize “Dominica’s Day of Action” in Roseau. We are partnering with Dominica Solid Waste Management, Alliance Francaise, the Division of Forestry and others to build awareness and explore solutions for building resilience and sustainability in Dominica.
This Day of Action will include a series of Climate Change related "Power Talks" on topics such as renewable energy, building resilience to Climate Change, pollution awareness and management, sustainable agriculture and others that are particularly relevant here in Dominica. The Roman Catholic Bishop Malzaire will explain Pope Francis' Encyclical on Climate Change. Members of the public, including children, will be invited to help complete our plastic bottle sculpture. This project, planned in conjunction with Solid Waste, provides a great opportunity to collect and use productively the (now empty) water bottles donated after TS Erika. We are asking the public to bring along their own plastic bottle to contribute to the sculpture, and to insert a “Green Message in the bottle” for Dominica. A children’s corner of activities as well as music will make the day family-friendly. The day will finish with a public showing of the important Climate Change film "This Changes Everything" and discussion at the Alliance Française at 7:00 PM.
Activities in the Garden are scheduled to start at 3:00 PM on Saturday, Nov. 28th.
We look forward to your support!
From:
The Waitikubuli Ecological Foundation (WEF)