NASSAU, 03 May 2021 – Insurance leader Bahamas First connected to the world’s largest environmental stewardship movement this past Earth Day to host its Conversation on Climate Change webinar featuring Her Excellency Mrs. Sarah Dickson, British High Commissioner to The Bahamas, and regional climate change experts. The company’s employees in The Bahamas and affiliates in the Cayman Islands joined more than a billion people in 192 countries gathering to drive positive action for the planet and #RestoreOurEarth.
The Earth Day forum was one of the first major environmental stewardship initiatives coordinated by Bahamas First’s newly formed Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”) Committee, established to develop and oversee policies which direct the Group’s social, ethical, and environmental management initiatives. The company welcomed the High Commissioner along with Amy Smith, MBE, COP26 Caribbean Climate Change Policy Manager at the British High Commission Bridgetown; Jerusa Ali, Political Attaché, at the British High Commission Nassau; and Catherine Childs, Education Manager – Island Offsets at Cayman Sea Sense in the Cayman Islands for a lunchtime discussion about the effect that transportation, industrial emissions, and human diets and lifestyles continue to have on climate change.
“Talking to Bahamas First on Earth Day is a really good place to be because of how you are so intertwined with the extreme weather that comes from climate change,” said High Commissioner Dickson. “The Bahamas is so beautiful. You have mangroves, reefs, and beautiful landscapes. Protecting them – making sure they’re there for your children and your children’s children – I think, is a really important goal for us all. With seas rising, with extreme weather happening more often, you have to be part of the solution. This industry is at the crux of it. It’s a challenge as well as a massive opportunity.”
Deborah McKinney, Group Operations & Special Projects Manager at Bahamas First and Chair of the company’s CSR Committee, added, “Bahamas First believes that the escalation of climate-linked issues such as extreme heat, rising sea levels, catastrophic hurricanes and biodiversity loss poses an existential threat. We are acutely aware that island nations like The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands are among the countries most significantly impacted by climate change and so we’re committed to doing our part as responsible corporate citizens. Our CSR Committee is investigating alternative energy, managing our relationships with “greener” suppliers, and educating our staff on behaviours that reduce our carbon footprint because it takes action at all levels to preserve our country and our planet for future generations.”
