ESG Radio Newsletter 10th November 2016
The Presidential American elections have sent seismic waves throughout many of the world’s communities. For obvious and varied reasons.
From an environmental point of view, it seems the battle has only got harder. With Brexit implications under the microscope we already face an indeterminate, yet major challenge to ensure that Gibraltar’s environmental regulations continue to be held to the highest possible standards. We shall continue to focus on these issues.
However, the Trump victory threatens a possible peel back of the USA’s recent endorsement and participation in the Climate Change Paris agreement, one of the more robust to have emerged from these meetings over the years. Caroline Lucas and Al Gore have spoken out about how people have to have faith that science and evidence based rationale for reducing carbon emissions, will now be very hard to dismiss or ignore, even for someone like Trump – yet we all know the Republican Party has always denied the threat of climate change – and will likely now try and overturn their commitment and fan their coal and other fossil fuel industry – It’s frightening, and very sad that major steps could be repealed this way. Still, Gore and Lucas believe people power and determination can help stall such action – lets hope the American people rally round their environmental leaders and fight to remain in the global response to climate change –
Like everyone, we shall be watching closely to see quite how seismic the promised policy changes may be. Also highly recommend you watch a recently released film by Leonardo de Caprio on Climate Change called Before the Flood– fascinating and frightening, inspiring and compelling – a must watch for anyone wanting to learn more about this critical issue facing humanity and the living environment. Go to Youtube and search the title. Timely release of this National Geographic documentary coincided with election day in America hoping to inform and influence public opinion. Given the result, lets hope the film will continue to inform and educate and strengthen public opinion and ensures that the USA continues its current support in the global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
A recent meeting with the Port Authority allowed us to present concerns of quayside pollution and impact, highlighting reports from residents on the frontline along the west flank of Gibraltar. Gibraltar has held an international bunkering convention this week hoping to develop this business further locally. With fuel business already on the rise and impacting on the quality of life of many residents, we shall continue to press for best available technology to be regulated into all port practices including vapour recovery and onshore power connection. Portside communities elsewhere in the world are also suffering the consequences of rising commercial and leisure shipping activity causing associated air and noise pollution, and, are demanding similar regulations. We shall continue to press for these here in Gibraltar also.
The ESG faces a busy period coming with talks, awards, and the publication of a number of reports.
Our website is also facing an upgrade and will soon display our campaigns and information in a much more user-friendly manner.
If you haven’t yet signed the ban the plastic bag petition, being run by the Nautilus project, you can still find it online at change.org. Link is also posted on our website. Of course plastic bags is one type of waste that threatens wildlife particularly at sea, but is one that can be replaced with biodegradable equivalents, and preferably reusable bags. Both the ESG and GONHS have campaigned on this before and have publicly supported this current petition also.
Finally, just to say you can catch up with our news and press releases if you visit our website, which is esg-gib.net, you can also email us at esg@gibtelecom.net for more information.
Thanks for listening.
