Citing the devastating effect of adverse weather on the Region, the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on Friday issued a call to action as she headed to the COP27 climate change conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
“Stating the obvious has never been any simpler. We must act now to secure our future,” Dr. Carla Barnett declared.
“Ambitious and credible action in adaptation, finance and loss and damage are paramount,” she stated.
The CARICOM Secretary-General said she would join the Region in advocating for better and more at the climate change conference.
“The situation is dire. We deserve no less,” the CARICOM Secretary-General explained.
Barnett recalled that six CARICOM member states had been devastated by extreme weather events in the past two weeks, including two hurricanes.
And she explained in a video recording that preliminary estimates indicate damage in tens of millions.
According to Barnett, the extreme weather destroyed homes, shuttered businesses, damaged infrastructure, and kept children away from school.
“It has become a cycle we know too well and one that we cannot long bear,” the CARICOM Secretary-General asserted.
In this regard, she said, as the world gathers in Sharm el-Sheikh for COP 27, the Region is resolute in its position and singular in its demand for climate justice for the vulnerable.
COP27, which opened on November 6, runs until November 18.
