Cayman Eco offers free ‘climate science lunch and learn’

| 09/01/2020
Cayman News Service
Tammy Kelderman, environmental sociologist and founder of Cayman Eco

(CNS Local Life): Cayman Eco, a local environmental non-profit organisation, is aiming to educate the general public in the Cayman Islands on the threats presented by global climate change by offering free ‘climate science lunch and learn’ sessions for local businesses.

Tammy Kelderman, an environmental sociologist and founder of Cayman Eco, explained that 97% of scientists agree that climate change is happening and humans are causing it.

“Youth are marching in the streets over it, and countries like the UK, Canada, France and Ireland have declared climate change a national emergency. Governments, the fossil fuel industry, and the media are getting on board but, overall, the public has been slow to react to what is, without exaggeration, an existential crisis.”

With a recently obtained 4-year degree in environmental and social science, Kelderman says she is keen to share what she has learned about climate science and help people understand the urgency of climate change and, most importantly, what they can do to curb it.

“Earth systems fascinate me,” she said. “The complexity of our atmosphere, the oceans, and the cyclical nature of our planet really are quite amazing. It struck me as I sat in a third year lecture on the carbon cycle, that there are a great number of educated, intelligent leaders out there that, unless they were also sitting in a third year lecture on the carbon cycle, really may not know how some of these systems work, and how important it is for the future of our planet that we all understand some of these basic theories.”

Climate change is a very real challenge in the Cayman Islands, Kelderman noted. According to the Department of Environment, our greenhouse gas emissions were recently measured at 12.3 metric tonnes per capita – much higher than other industrialised countries like China (7.5 metric tonnes) and the U.K. (6.5 metric tonnes) and yet higher than other countries in the Caribbean region, such as Barbados (4.5 metric tonnes) and Jamaica (2.6 metric tonnes).

The risks are very real too, she explained. Ocean acidification caused by an imbalance of CO2 in our oceans kills our coral reefs and the fish and fisheries that rely on them.

“With Grand Cayman sitting an average of 7 feet above sea level, and being situated in a hurricane zone, sea level rise alone could wipe out much of the Islands before the end of the century, if a catastrophic hurricane doesn’t do the job first. Urgent global action is needed, globally and right here in the Cayman Islands,” Kelderman said.

Cayman Eco is currently promoting the first of a series of ‘lunch and learns’ to the business community for free to help them understand the science behind climate change called: “Climate Change and the Cayman Islands: What it means, why it matters, and what we can do about it.”

These sessions, which will be held in the company’s boardroom, attendees will learn why all the urgency, discuss some basic science like the carbon cycle, and the proven positive correlation between carbon dioxide and rising global temperatures. There will also be a discussion about Cayman’s carbon footprint and the government’s plans, through the National Energy Policy, to decrease Cayman’s reliance on fossil fuels, and, finally, what individuals can do in their everyday lives to help.

To sign up for a free lunch and learn, email Kelderman at Cayman Eco at info@caymaneco.org or via Cayman Eco website’s Contact Us page.


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Category: Climate Change, Environment, Local News

Comments (3)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    I wonder were we will al be when this agenda is all said and done 2030 is alive and well

    • Anonymous says:

      2030 being alive and well is far more likely if this “agenda” is followed.

  2. Anonymous says:

    No mention of it here, but I trust Tammy is bringing plant-based lunches, and explaining why that’s the case. If we aren’t talking about the impact of industrialized meat production, and doing something about it ourselves, then we’re hypocrites.