Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Turnbull issues apology and moves to reinstate Climate Change board

Turnbull issues apology and moves to reinstate Climate Change board

Minister for Natural Resources Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull has issued a public apology to all the members of the Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund Board whose membership – as he puts it – were wrongfully revoked in 2019.
He further invited all those members to serve again.

During a statement last night, Turnbull said the board was highly energised and all members were hardworking, committed, passionate and high performing.

“Revocation of their appointments was not only counterproductive and wrong, but it was also unlawful. It is now incumbent upon me as the Minister for Natural Resources and Labour with whom responsibility for climate change rests, to offer a sincere apology on behalf of the Government of The Virgin Islands to each member of The Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund Board who was duly appointed and serving and whose membership was wrongfully revoked on April 24, 2019,” the Natural Resources Minister said.

The members of the board included the Chairman Edward Childs – representing any sector responsible for making contributions to the Fund; the Deputy Chairman John Klein – representing the tourism sector; Dr Katherine Smith – representing an academic or research organisation; Dr Shannon Gore – representing a non-governmental organisation or community-based organisation; Shelly Bend – representing the financial services sector; and Ronnie Lettsome – representing an individual or ordinary resident of the territory.

“I have outlined the significance of the Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund which is directly tied to the urgent need to re-establish the Trust Fund Board … In the best interest of this territory, including respecting the rule of law, [I move to] to reinstate the board by humbly inviting all members whose appointments were revoked on April 24, 2019, to serve again with a reset of their terms of appointment,” Turnbull said.

The Minister said with the apology and his administration’s commitment to move forward with the implementation of the Trust Fund while strictly adhering to the noble principle on which it was established, he hopes all former members will be willing and able to serve again.

“Where this may regrettably not be the case, to ensure that the work of the Trust Fund is continued, any vacancies will be filled following the open, transparent, public process outlined in the Act,” Turnbull said.

“There are innovations and moments in the course of each country that shape and define its potential and future. The Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund is one of those innovations and this is one of those moments,” he added.

The Natural Resources Minister explained that the legal establishment of the Fund puts the Virgin Islands boldly on the map both regionally and internationally as an innovative leader in sustainable financing for climate change adaptation and mitigation in small islands.

“Let’s take this opportunity to right a wrong and put the Trust Fund back on a path to success to safeguard the future of these beautiful islands we are blessed to call home. As Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, I look forward to a fully appointed board in short order and I pledge my support in the successful implementation of the Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund,” Turnbull said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×