On the occasion of Mother Earth Day, the government of Bonaire asks for your attention to the following.
We will not achieve our international goals of keeping global warming limited to 1.5 degrees. Unless we take immediate action and do everything in our power to achieve our goal. This is the conclusion of a recent report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
For this reason, the theme for Earth Day on 22 April 2023 is: Invest in our planet. This is an urgent call to all governments, businesses and citizens. Investing in a green economy is the only way to a healthy, prosperous and just future. As human beings, we ourselves are responsible for the destruction of the world. That’s why we need to restore the health of our planet and build a green economy, one that protects ourselves and offers opportunity to everyone. This can only happen if we invest together in the future of our planet. Governments, businesses and citizens must act and work together to combat climate change.
We have to restructure our energy generation system and switch from fossil fuels to solar and wind energy. On Bonaire we get about 22 percent of our energy needs from wind power. Not so long ago this was 40 percent. Population growth and increasing demand for energy are the main causes of this decline. But there are various plans to change this. Our ambition is to increase the share of sustainable energy to 60 percent. We are currently building a solar panel park of almost 11,000 panels with a capacity of 10 megawatts at the power plant between Karpata and Bopec. This solar park can supply 5,000 households with electricity and is to be commissioned this year. In the coming years the share of wind energy will also increase sharply.
There are already 13 companies in Bonaire that have a Blue Destination certificate. This certification system was started to help local businesses do business in a more sustainable and social way. Through an audit of his company, the entrepreneur gains insight into how his company performs in terms of environment, nature and society and where improvement is possible. Certified companies use less water, produce less waste, and emit less CO2. Among these enterprises are some gas stations that run entirely or largely on solar energy. Of course this is financially attractive as well.
As voters and consumers, Bonairians can continue to insist on sustainable solutions. Fighting climate change and adapting to its consequences can only happen if we all put our shoulders under it.
Invest in our planet and our future together!