THE House of Keys tackles one of the biggest subjects on the planet at tomorrow’s sitting when questions are asked about the Isle of Man’s commitment to the worldwide initiative to address issues such as climate change and biodiversity.
Chief Minister Allan Bell will be asked by Bill Henderson (Douglas North) when the Isle of Man will adopt the Rio Conventions, the three directives which came out of the 1992 Earth Summit attended by all the world’s nations.
The conventions cover biodiversity, climate change and desertification - encompassing a wide range of environmental issues affecting the earth, with a focus on sustainability.
The conventions were created to give the world a collaborative approach, exchanging information and exploring opportunities to provide international co-ordination on environmental matters.
So far, the Isle of Man has not officially adopted the Rio Conventions, but comments have been made on a number of occasions by senior politicians that the Island wishes to embrace various aspects of environmental initiatives.
Tynwald has also taken active steps during the last parliament to introduce its own biodiversity policies and has started debate on the subject of windfarms for the Isle of Man and alternative energy strategies.
Tomorrow’s initial question by Mr Henderson is likely to see a number of supplementary questions on the subject of protecting the Isle of Man’s environment which was high on the list of subjects in many General Election manifestoes.
