A climate activist said today that she will “boldly” make a challenge for the House of Assembly seat won for the Progressive Labour Party by Wayne Caines in 2020.

Noelle Young will stand as an independent candidate in Devonshire North West.

At a press conference at the Arboretum this morning, she described herself as a “sustainability solutionist, environmental activist and youth advocate”.

Ms Young said she was also taking a stand against pollution and “monopoly-driven price hikes” at Belco, the energy company where Mr Caines is president.

The Royal Gazette asked the PLP today to confirm whether Mr Caines will be among contenders for the seat, which is Constituency 14, and awaited a response at the time of publication.

Ms Young said earlier: “I will be going up against Wayne Caines, who is the representative for this constituency, Wayne Caines, the president of Belco.

“This is not a personal attack against Wayne Caines. However, it is an attack on what he stands for. Our energy prices are ridiculously high. I cannot imagine the levels of pollution that are being distributed in our atmosphere.”

Mr Caines declined to comment on the statement.

The Gazette ran an investigative series, Clearing the Air, highlighting soot deposits and other emissions from the power company’s plant that were a direct result of the way the North Power Station was configured in 2020.

Ms Young said she was in the process of reviewing the Clean Air Amendment Bill, which was designed to make air pollution laws more stringent.

She noted: “I do see some improvements but it is not enough.”

Devonshire North West is traditionally a PLP stronghold but the seat was taken by Glen Smith in 2012 from Paula Cox, who was then the Premier.

Mr Caines retained the seat in the 2020 General Election against the One Bermuda Alliance’s Catherine Kempe, after winning it in 2017 when Ms Cox ran there as an independent.

Ms Young has a background in aquaculture and fisheries, and has dedicated her career to marine conservation, environmental justice and community-driven solutions.

She added: “As far as the creation of national policy, once I am instated, I would work towards international and national sustainable development goals, and environment is a key goal because we are all intrinsically linked to our environment.

“I want people to remember that our national leadership is not the end game — we are part of the Commonwealth. If our national leaders are not being properly held accountable, maybe it is time to step over them.”

Ms Young is pursuing an executive master’s in diplomacy and international relations at Seton Hall University, and is actively working with Greenpeace UK to designate the Sargasso Sea around Bermuda as one of the first high seas marine-protected areas.

She added: “This initiative is critical to preserving Bermuda’s unique marine ecosystems and ensuring the long-term sustainability of its natural resources.

“In November, I spoke at the House of Commons in the UK around the Sargasso Sea campaign I am doing with Greenpeace and I was asked why we don’t hear from national leaders in Bermuda more about the concerns Bermudians have.

“In some cases, I feel that it is deliberate.”

Ms Young spoke about her vision to establish children and youth equity as Bermuda’s first national sustainable development goal, and has launched a petition to garner community support.

Asked what she thought about the lack of absentee voting in the recently announced General Election to take place on February 18, she responded: “It is 2025, it is ridiculous.”

Describing herself more as a diplomat than a politician, Ms Young said her advocacy was “deeply inspired” by her heritage as a descendant of Mary and Mahalia Warfield, who were on board the ship Enterprise that carried enslaved men, women and children.

She said the story of liberation and collaboration between Bermudian civil society and British governance impelled her to preserve the island’s cultural and natural heritage for generations to come.

A self-described “Pond Dog” from Pond Hill, Pembroke, she called on all “back of town” constituencies to contact her and collaborate on change.

Explaining why she avoided joining a political party, Ms Young said: “I feared that all of the environmental, social and humanitarian work that I would be doing would be overshadowed by the fact that I joined a party.

“I also did not want to be regulated in what I was allowed to do and say.”

Ms Young encouraged members of the community to contact her to learn more about her campaign, which she said comprised about 50 policies.

The mother of one said she would like to support sports clubs, create dog parks as well as improve the quality of outdoor community spaces, including playgrounds.

She called on Suzie Arruda, another independent candidate, to provide a translation of her speech in Portuguese and also gave a description of herself and her surroundings for people who are visually impaired who may have tuned in.

Ms Young has a website, noelleyoung.info, that includes the youth petition and a contact form.