A new group to tackle the risks of climate change to Bermuda has been set up.

Glenn Fubler, a spokesman for the Bermuda Climate Action Network. said members had met for several months to find ways to cope with the global emergency of climate change at an island level.

He added: “Our first project, entitled Vision 2020, will be inviting community members to be involved in the planting of 2,020 young native, endemic and fruit trees by the end of 2020.

“This family-friendly initiative is geared to expand awareness of the crisis and offer a practical means for participating in solutions.”

Mr Fubler said the organisation wanted to attract a cross-section of residents.

He said: “The goal of Bermuda CAN is to facilitate — in light of the mounting scientific evidence — the coming together of our island community in a concerted effort to identify and mitigate climate risks specific to Bermuda and advance a deeper appreciation of our responsibility as global citizens in keeping average temperature rises below 1.5 Centigrade.

“Recent climate catastrophes — such as Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, as well as deadly forest fires in Brazil, Australia, California — point to the need for urgent action.

“To that end, we are in the process of planning initiatives to promote awareness and foster wide community involvement in solutions.”