Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has pledged US$500 000 (BDS$1 million) from her personal charity to the Green Rising initiative in a show of commitment to youthdriven climate action in Barbados and beyond.
Speaking at the official launch of Green Rising at the National Botanical Gardens in Waterford, St Michael, yesterday, Mottley described the donation – half of the prize money awarded to her as part of the prestigious Zayed Award for Humanity earlier this year – as an investment in the future of young Barbadians.
The funds are to be used to seed and support youth-led environmental enterprises under the Green Rising banner, an initiative focused on building intergenerational solidarity in the global climate movement.
Green Rising aims to initially reach 12 000 young people in Barbados, and also to expand across the region and globally.
“We now have the US$1 million from Generation Rising and the US$500 000 from my foundation, which will give these youngsters in Barbados BDS$3 million from which to draw to begin to start their enterprises,” she announced to applause.
Mottley added that a board of seasoned experts in the green and blue economy will soon be appointed to vet and support viable projects without any political, gender or age bias.
Practical value
The Prime Minister, who also serves as the global chair of Green Rising, framed the programme as an urgent response to climate challenges that threaten future generations.
“More than anything else, I want to see the young people of this planet, of this country, of this region, rise to claim that which is theirs,” she said. Quoting the National Anthem, she called on the youth to become “firm craftsmen of our fate” and strict guardians of the environment.
The National Botanical Gardens
was chosen for its symbolic and practical value. Mottley recalled championing the acquisition of the over 200-acre space in 2005 to provide a green space for residents of St Michael, which is home to nearly 40 per cent of Barbados’ population.
She credited Minister of the Environment Adrian Forde for his leadership in biodiversity and environmental
stewardship, and called for a renewed cultural shift in attitudes toward environmental care.
Referencing a viral TikTok video in which a visitor from St Vincent and the Grenadines praised Barbados’ cleanliness and accessible waste bins, the PM warned that there was still a segment of the population who “don’t see the garbage cans, but see the gullies and believe that G is for gully and G is for garbage”.
She stressed the importance of early public education in reversing this mindset, stating that the movement to protect the planet “must start with our young people”.
Rallying cry
She also used the occasion to launch a rallying cry around methane reduction, describing the greenhouse gas as “80 times more dangerous than carbon”. The Prime Minister urged Barbadian youth to join a global campaign to bring methane emissions to net zero by 2040, noting that success in this area could reverse global warming by as much as 0.3 to 0.5 degrees Celsius. “That is gold,” she declared.
Mottley said the climate fight was not just about science and sustainability, but also about fairness and development. She acknowledged the tensions faced by developing countries that must choose between poverty alleviation and environmental responsibility.
“You had the right to exploit oil and gas for a century . . . and now you want to shut me down before I can get off the ground,” she said, voicing the frustrations of many in the Global South.
Her message to and hope for young Barbadians was: “How you act each and every day will determine what type of life you have 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now . . . and what type of life your children will equally enjoy.”
(CLM)
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