(StLuciTimes)Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre says he is looking forward to joining colleague Heads of Government in Dubai at COP28 to continue advocating for transformational action to protect the existence of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
He emphasised that Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries and other SIDS are feeling the brunt of the global climate crisis.
Pierre is CARICOM’s Lead Head for Sustainable Development and Climate Change.
On Thursday, he met with Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaher, the President-Designate of COP28 in Barbados.
The meeting occurred as the region advanced preparation for the event in the United Arab Emirates in November.
“COP28 is happening at a time when the world is in a climate crisis. However, this crisis is deeper, more serious, and more acute in our region CARICOM and other SIDS,” the Saint Lucia Prime Minister wrote on Facebook.
He noted that the region’s experience has been that a hurricane could ruin an entire country, destroy the population’s livelihoods and plunge the nation into instant poverty in hours.
“That is the level of exposure that we face in CARICOM due to the effects of this climate crisis,” Pierre explained.
As a result, he asserted that COP28 must deliver an ambitious global climate action plan to 2030.