Convergence: Bermuda ready to meet climate challenges head on

Climate change poses an existential threat to Bermuda due to rising sea levels and that also makes it the perfect place from which to find solutions to climate change, a Bermuda Government minister said yesterday, 

Kim Wilson, the health minister, was speaking at the opening of the second day of ILS Bermuda’s Convergence conference at the Hamilton Princess and Beach Club. 

She said low lying areas, the capital, Hamilton, and even the island’s iconic South Shore beaches were threatened by rising sea levels. 

“Yet, with every risk comes the potential for opportunity,” she said. “With that in mind, we are advancing several important initiatives to enhance our resilience, from the electrification of our buses to improvements to our energy production and strategic investment to our physical infrastructure as well. 

“Bermuda’s centuries-old resistance to storm risk is visible in our storm resilient and resistant architecture, and for many reasons, Bermuda is ideally situated as a beta testing ground for resilience and tech innovations. We welcome your ideas, your investment and your collaboration.”        

She added that as the risk to Bermuda intensified in the coming years, the government was committed to meeting the challenges head on, ensuring that Bermudians remained safe from future storms and that “our infrastructure remains resilient enough for Bermuda to remain open for business no matter what we face”. 

“Consequently, we are confident that Bermuda will continue to play a critical role on the global stage, assisting other communities to recover from their significant risk like Hurricane Milton which we are seeing bear down on Florida  as we speak.” 

Wilson said Bermuda remained the global capital of the insurance-linked securities sector and said it was open to other forms of innovation across the board. 

She said: “This event is an opportunity to discover the many advantages Bermuda offers to business and investors in many fields and I encourage you to make the most of it. Return often, explore frequently and learn how Bermuda and Bermudians can accelerate your businesses.  

“I encourage you to make the most of it. Return often, explore frequently and learn how Bermuda and Bermudians can accelerate your strategies and businesses, helping you to penetrate global markets.”

Wilson also acknowledged that the attendance of many faculty and administrators form the Arizona State university, which recently merged with the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science. 

“We are thrilled to welcome ASU into the Bermuda family, and equally we are honoured to be welcomed into the ASU family. In partnership with ASU, Bios is poised to grow further in Bermuda, expanding its vital longstanding missions and deepening its commitment to educating aspiring students from around the world, including right here in Bermuda .

“In June, ASU announced  an exciting new scholarship programme, opening doors for young Bermudians, enabling them to attend university on a financially inclusive basis. Five full time scholarships are now available each and every year for eligible Bermudians and all Bermudians entering ASU will be  eligible for additional scholarships  and will economically treat Bermudians on an in-state tuition basis.”

She added: “We warmly welcome our ASU visitors to Bermuda and look forward to continuing our collaborations and to raise awareness of those truly remarkable opprortunities.”  

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