The Honorable David Carty, Speaker of the House of Assembly, will be wearing one of his other hats next week as he represents Anguilla at the historic COP15 Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Speaker Mr. David Carty

Mr. Carty acts as the Chairman of Anguilla’s National Energy Committee, and he has been invited through the Chief Minister’s Office to join a delegation to COP15 organized by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre in Belize, also known as the 5 C’s.

The 5 C’s has sponsored workshops on climate change here in Anguilla, and has been impressed with the work of the Anguilla National Energy Committee, especially its development of Anguilla’s progressive Draft National Energy Policy. As a result, it is very pleased that Mr. Carty will be accompanying its delegation to COP15.

The COP15 Summit taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark, from December 7th through Dec 18th, 2009 is an historic gathering of world leaders and policy-makers. Their main mandate is to negotiate a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol which will expire in 2012. The Kyoto Protocol set international goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in 1997. Now world leaders are charged with developing an even more effective treaty, and for committing to global action on climate change issues.

As anyone who has attended one of Mr. Carty’s information sessions on climate change knows that Anguilla is particularly at risk for the negative impacts of a rapidly changing climate, and especially in danger from rising sea-levels. Recently released studies are showing that this risk is growing all the time and that the “Arctic sea-ice is melting 40% faster than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCCC) estimated in 2007.” Scientists blame the burning of fossil fuels for “drastically reshaping our planet’s climate, melting the world’s glaciers, and acidifying the oceans.”

David Carty says, “Action to turn this chain events around and reduce fossil fuel emissions must be taken immediately, and the COP15 Summit represents the world’s best chance to commit to substantial and sustainable changes. We in Anguilla need to think globally and act locally.”

The Anguilla National Energy Committee wishes to thank the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre for sponsoring Anguilla’s participation in COP15. The committee is pleased that Anguilla will have a voice at this potentially world-changing event.

Speaker Mr. David Carty

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