‘Thoughts and prayers’ not enough says Union Island climate change activist

“We are tired of the platitudes and the thoughts and prayers that without meaningful action…”.

These were the parting words which Union Island lawyer and climate activist, Heidi Badenock, shared during a ‘Conversations on Migration in the Caribbean’ panel discussion hosted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Day 1 of the four-part series, held on Monday, October 7, 2024 brought together youth leaders and climate activists to discuss their experiences in the climate justice fight.

Badenock shared with the virtual audience her account of the category four Hurricane Beryl which destroyed more than 90 percent of the structures on the Southern Grenadine island on July 1, 2024, and left five people dead.

She highlighted the economic devastation facing the heavily tourism-dependent islands in the Southern Grenadines in the aftermath of the hurricane.

“Even though Union Island is one of 32 islands, Union Island plays such an important role in the overall economy of St Vincent and the Grenadines…. Petit St Vincent, and Palm Island which are resort islands that contribute to the GDP of the country-they have been wiped out completely, they are now in the rebuilding process,” she said.

“Union Island is a tourism-based island…it is very difficult to see how persons can or will want to visit Union Island and have them contribute to the recovery of the economy of that island.”

Last week, Minister of Finance, Camillo Gonsalves, estimated the damage from Hurricane Beryl to be EC$800 million. In addition to this is the economic loss from sectors, including fisheries and hospitality.

Minister Gonsalves also spoke of the need to strike a balance between rebuilding quickly and rebuilding effectively, with 4,000 houses, running from Level 4 damage- the most severely affected- to Level 1 damage.

Badenock said the future of Union Island residents remains uncertain, as the rebuilding efforts get underway.

“Persons are fisherfolk, they run small businesses like market shops, so their revenue has been greatly impacted. Recovery is unknown at this time. This is a long-term effort.”

She pointed out that climate migration as a consequence of the hurricane, has placed many Unionites at risk of losing their culture, with the older

and younger generations being forced to leave the island.

“My father, following Beryl- was the first time I saw him cry, a 76 year old man, crying after such a disaster… this is their home, they know nothing else,” Badenock shared.

The Government took a decision to allow Union Island students to be schooled on the mainland, with three schools being

accommodated indefinitely in what was the old Teachers College at Arnos Vale, while many elderly people are also being housed at private homes and other accommodation on the mainland.

“… what makes us inherently Unionities- it will be loss over time, especially where recovery efforts are so far down the road. We don’t know if persons, after such a traumatic experience will want to return to the island and we don’t know how long it will take for them to return to the island,” the activist commented.

Badenock made a call for larger countries that are the largest contributors to climate change to step up and take action, saying the price Small-island Developing States are paying is “too high” of a price for climate change.

“We are tired of having to liken ourselves to Lazarus of the Old Testament where we have to beg at the rich man’s table every time disaster strikes. We are tired of the platitudes and the thoughts and prayers that, without meaningful action, it is not worth the energy taken to say them. It is

time to shift the burden because we as Small Island Developing States, we need help.”

The four episodes ‘Conversations on Migration in the Caribbean’ panel discussion, will air live online until October 10, 2024, and will feature conversations about migration due to climate events, ahead of the upcoming COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The countries represented include Barbados, The Bahamas, Dominica, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, and Suriname.