Amplify Cayman launches a national campaign

Within the community, there is widespread support for pro-sustainable development as well as solutions to issues such as traffic. The community also broadly opposes developing the necessary solutions at the expense of our sensitive coastal environments.

In 2023, the Cayman Islands Government announced plans to extend the East-West Arterial highway and the Owen Roberts International Airport, which would require the destruction of mangroves and seagrasses – these fragile ecosystems contribute to a healthy North Sound and vibrant coral reefs, as well as the resiliency of our economy, communities, and resources.

In response, Amplify Cayman has launched a campaign to gather perspectives on these key issues from those who value Cayman and who disagree with capital projects that lead to environmental destruction. Further, this campaign seeks to promote healthy democratic processes, as decision-making in Parliament without data from constituents is poor governance.

The campaign includes a petition to gather data which will be presented to Cabinet, as well as an open letter for constituents to share their perspectives directly with their elected representatives. The petition and open letter will be published on Friday 30th June 2023 on our social media pages.

Amplify Cayman is pro-sustainable development, not anti-development. We recognize that a balance needs to be struck, whereby socioeconomic needs are met within the constraints of our finite environment. Developing with the intent of delivering positive solutions to traffic and promoting more luxury tourism will not result in a positive impact long-term for the nation if it results in the destruction of our natural resources.

We ask Cabinet only to approve developments that meet the nested interdependence framework, explored in Amplify Cayman’s People’s Sustainability Charter, which was published September 27th, 2021 on the 20th anniversary of the 2001 Environmental Charter and can be read here. Our Charter is a holistic framework to ensure community and nature are balanced with economic growth.

Amplify Cayman call on those who value Cayman to sign the petition and write to their elected officials to demand that Parliament ensure these projects don’t cause the destruction of our coastal environments. Petition respondents’ demographic data will not be stored or leveraged unethically. Email addresses will not be included in the final data to Cabinet. Amplify Cayman encourages civil servants to sign the petition and write their elected representatives.