Commonwealth Secretary General Baroness Patricia Scotland says while she is pleased that at least this year, for the first time, loss and damage were placed on the agenda of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 29), it is “a critical issue that demands our urgent action, particularly for small and other vulnerable countries that are facing the impacts of climate change as we speak”.
She said communities are struggling to cope with even the tail end of the Atlantic hurricane season.
“Within the past week or two, Belize was struck by Hurricane Lisa, which has caused widespread damage, while heavy rains and terrible flooding are affecting St. Lucia and my own country of birth, Dominica, where at least one person has died.”
She told the media that due to their small size, geographic makeup and location, level of development and limited capacity, these vulnerable countries tend to suffer the most as a result of climate change, including having to deal with rising frequency and intensity of extreme weather.
“This is the lived reality in the Caribbean. And yet, globally, they contribute negligibly to the problem – small island developing states contribute less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions which cause climate change.
“The Commonwealth’s stance on loss and damage is clear. In June 2022, leaders of our 56 member countries met in Kigali, Rwanda and in their communiqué they reiterated the urgency of scaling up action and support – including finance, technology transfer and capacity building – to address loss and damage in developing countries.
“They called on developed countries, international partners as well as NGOs and private sources, to provide enhanced and additional support to deal with loss and damage. I am therefore pleased that at least this year, for the first time, loss and damage is on the official agenda of these talks,” she added.
Caribbean countries are at the forefront in advocating for the establishing of a fund to deal with loss and damage resulting from climate change and Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne calling for oil and gas giants to pay for damage from climate change through a global carbon tax on their profits.
He told COP 27 that these giants “profligate producers of fossil fuels have benefited from extortionate profits at the expense of human civilization,” adding while they are profiting, the planet is burning”.
