DEMAND FOR MONEY FROM CARIBBEAN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

The Leaders of all the Caribbean countries gathered in Nassau last week for two days from 16 August to 18 August 2022 to discuss what their position will be at the COP 27 Conference to be held in Egypt in November of this year.  The situation is getting dire with regard to climate change issues.  The temperature of the world continues to rise.  That means keeping within 1.5 degrees centigrade will not be achieved.  The sea levels are still rising .  Carbon is still being emitted in the air.  China for example is building 250 more coal power stations.  The Australians are anxious to sell them the coal. In the United States, the Democratic Senator  for West Virginia got a carve out from Joe Biden for coal. Meantime, the Caribbean is burning and drowning to quote a Barbadian delegate at the conference.  How do we solve this?  The Caribbean has no army to enforce it.  Their economies are not powerful enough to make a difference.  However, they have a moral case.  There is a right to exist for 65 million people around the world who are in the position of small island developing states and coastal states.  They must speak loudly and with one voice to demand that the money to pay for adaptation and mitigation be provided right away.  It is the only way.  That is what the leaders in Nassau decided last week. Let’s see if they can stick together.