Commonwealth Secretary Normal Baroness Patricia Scotland says whereas she is happy that at the least this 12 months, for the primary time, loss and injury have been positioned on the agenda of the United Nations Local weather Change Convention (COP 29), it’s “a essential concern that calls for our pressing motion, notably for small and different weak international locations which are going through the impacts of local weather change as we converse”.
She mentioned communities are struggling to deal with even the tail finish of the Atlantic hurricane season.
“Inside the previous week or two, Belize was struck by Hurricane Lisa, which has prompted widespread injury, whereas heavy rains and horrible flooding are affecting St. Lucia and my very own nation of start, Dominica, the place at the least one particular person has died.”
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She advised the media that resulting from their small measurement, geographic make-up and site, stage of growth and restricted capability, these weak international locations are likely to undergo probably the most on account of local weather change, together with having to cope with rising frequency and depth of maximum climate.
“That is the lived actuality within the Caribbean. And but, globally, they contribute negligibly to the issue – small island creating states contribute lower than one % to world greenhouse fuel emissions which trigger local weather change.
“The Commonwealth’s stance on loss and injury is evident. In June 2022, leaders of our 56 member international locations met in Kigali, Rwanda and of their communiqué they reiterated the urgency of scaling up motion and assist – together with finance, expertise switch and capability constructing – to deal with loss and injury in creating international locations.
“They known as on developed international locations, worldwide companions in addition to NGOs and personal sources, to supply enhanced and extra assist to cope with loss and injury. I’m subsequently happy that at the least this 12 months, for the primary time, loss and injury is on the official agenda of those talks,” she added.
Caribbean international locations are on the forefront in advocating for the establishing of a fund to cope with loss and injury ensuing from local weather change and Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne calling for oil and fuel giants to pay for injury from local weather change via a worldwide carbon tax on their income.
He advised COP 27 that these giants “profligate producers of fossil fuels have benefited from extortionate income on the expense of human civilization,” including whereas they’re profiting, the planet is burning”.