Caribbean leaders called for greater action on climate change at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) last week. Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who also serves as president of this decade’s summit for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), “blasted ‘empty’ and ‘grossly inadequate’ climate pledges, saying wealthy nations have failed to meet obligations to limit damages from carbon emissions,” reports Reuters.
Multiple leaders highlighted the impact of climate change on SIDS and called for greater action. Among them, Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell “highlighted innovative approaches to disaster preparedness and recovery that Grenada and other Caribbean nations have developed, including financial tools like the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility,” per Loop. Dominican President Sylvania Burton “said that another issue of concern to Dominica despite the resources and publicity given to UN Agenda 30, is that the outputs so far do not inspire confidence that the global community is on track to realize the much-heralded goals,” adds Loop. St. Kitts and Nevis Observer reviews more Caribbean leaders’ roles at UNGA, writing that the Caribbean punched above its weight.
Guyana also launched a Global Biodiversity Alliance last Wednesday, notes Loop. The country “will host the inaugural summit of that alliance focusing on creating a market for biodiversity credits,” to be held next year. Demerara Waves adds that Guyanese President Irfaan Ali called for greater global humanitarian aid for Haiti.
At a side event held at the UN General Assembly, Caribbean and African leaders additionally reinforced calls for reparations for historic injustices, reports PassBlue. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, was one of the advocates present in the meeting.
Climate Justice
The Barbados-led Bridgetown Initiative for the reform of the international development and climate finance architecture recently released a report arguing that special attention should be paid to climate-vulnerable countries, such as the Caribbean Large Ocean States .
According to the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, a long spell of elevated temperatures has resulted in a scarcity of water supply, affecting crops and livestock.
“Two months after Hurricane Beryl, one of the most destructive storms in recent memory, residents of the Caribbean’s once-idyllic Grenadines Islands are still battling to rebuild their lives and livelihood,” notes IOM, adding that many “are struggling to regain normality while juggling the challenges of displacement and loss… Over half of the Union Island population is displaced on the mainland, living in shelters or with family and friends.” (via Americas Migration Brief)
Elsewhere, IOM highlights the impact in Carriacou, Grenada: the hurricane “has left the island in ruins, damaging more than 95 per cent of buildings and leaving behind flattened homes, destroyed infrastructure, and a community in desperate need of help.”
A Caribbean Policy Development Centre report investigates the impacts of sovereign debt and climate-related events on vulnerable groups in the Caribbean, noting how severe climate hazards like hurricanes, droughts, and flooding exacerbate elevate public debt—as well as crowd out investments in social programs and infrastructure.
In the Cayman Islands, “The Central Planning Authority is due to hear an application for another major subdivision on pristine habitat in East End today, Wednesday, but the Department of Environment has called for a review of whether it’s needed… A growing number of applications in the largely undeveloped areas of East End and North Side are increasingly encroaching on the Salina Reserve and the Colliers Reserve, where the critically endangered blue iguana is clinging to survival,” reports Cayman News Service.
Barbados’ Adelle Thomas writes at Science about research needs for loss and damage: “To move forward, research is needed on successes and challenges in responding to L&D. Research is also scarce on linkages between adaptation and L&D, such as the need to incorporate adaptation strategies when recovering from incurred damages.”
A Climate Analytics report reviews the last 30 years of loss and damage in the Caribbean.
The EcoVybz Podcast discusses with Sint Maarten’s Star Peterson about climate justice in the Caribbean, including the role of Caribbean youth.
Trinidad and Tobago lawyer Justin Sobion is “optimistic” about the climate change advisory opinion request to the International Court of Justice, notes Newsday. Eight Caribbean countries have given official written statements to the court.
An article at V20 from Sara Jane Ahmed and Jwala Rambarran calls for the World Bank to establish more flexible conditions to trigger catastrophe bonds in light of Jamaica’s experience with Hurricane Beryl.
Climate Responses and Innovation
A Forbes article highlights how the restoration of mangroves in Haiti - destroyed by recent urbanization efforts - is “helping protect marine ecosystems and build a more sustainable income for fishers.”
A new report from the Getting to Zero Coalition, UCL Energy Institute, and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, titled “Climate Action in Shipping: Progress Towards Shipping’s 2030 Breakthrough,” notes that despite certain advances made to decarbonize the maritime industry, additional efforts are needed. Caribbean and small island developing states (SIDS), which rely on maritime shipping, must pay close attention to developments.
Pre-positioning, “simply stockpiling essential goods for access and mobilization during disasters response operation,” is a key method “to respond to natural disasters, improving the speed, quality and efficiency of humanitarian responses,” says IOM.
A new article in iScience details how crucial wind and solar energy are for SIDS as they seek to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
The Climate Conscious Podcast discusses with Dr. Legena Henry the “low-carbon solution addressing the issue of sargassum blooms and the greening of the transportation sector. Dr. Henry is fostering innovation among undergraduate students at University of the West Indies, Cave Hill in the area of Renewable Energy. Their research has led to the development of a biofuel utilizing the overgrowth of sargassum and waste water from rum distilleries in Barbados.”
Energy
The Inter-American Dialogue’s Energy Advisor explores the role of Guyana’s oil sector in the country’s economy, including responses from Guyana’s Jan Mangal, Suriname’s Steven Debipersad, UWI’s Anthony T. Bryan, and Arantza Alonso. Mangal responds, “Guyana’s impressive growth figures mask the deeper, unacceptable reality of a widening cost of living crisis that is eroding the quality of life for most citizens. While the booming oil sector drives headline growth, the benefits remain concentrated among a few.”
Democratic Governance
An investigation by the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo found nearly 900,000 deceased people in Puerto Rico’s Electoral Register, and that thousands of them appeared to have voted in the 2020 and 2016 elections. “Fraud is part of a system plagued by corruption for decades.” CPI denounces that the Elections Commission of Puerto Rico is attacking press freedoms after the body issued a public statement threatening legal action against CPI and its journalists.
Finance and Economics
A Global Financial Integrity report analyzes Belize’s establishment of a Beneficial Ownership Registry (BOR), “evaluating its strengths and weaknesses in the broader context of global financial transparency efforts.”
“SVG’s debt rivals GDP as seaport likely to cost ‘as much as the airport.’” (iWitness)
Human Rights
In her blog, Jamaica-based Emma Lewis discusses the need to have more women in leadership positions in the Caribbean, and expresses support for Therese Turner-Jones as she vies for the presidency of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), against two male candidates.
In an effort to further protect the human rights of bisexual people, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) called for states across the Americas to implement and enact legislation and public policies to safeguard the human rights of this population.
Migration
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), over half of the 700,000 people displaced in Haiti are children.
The Caribbean in the World
“The United States has dropped a push for the U.N. Security Council to ask for a plan to transform a security mission helping fight armed gangs in Haiti into a formal U.N. peacekeeping operation, a move some diplomats said was made to appease Russia and China,” reports Reuters.
Culture
Critical Mas, a collective of formerly incarcerated individuals from Trinidad and Tobago, recently released a song called “Born a Criminal” that addresses the ties among poverty, inequality, and criminality, reports Caribbean Life.
Events
Between October 2nd and 4th, the Caribbean Development Bank, CARICOM, OECS, UNICEF, and UNESCO are hosting The Regional Symposium and Policy Dialogue on Transforming Education. More information, including a live stream, is available here.
Opportunities
Proposals are now being accepted by the Caribbean Culture Fund (CCF) for art-related projects in six new countries: Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Curacao, and the Cayman Islands.
The Maltese Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade (MFET), in collaboration with the University of Malta, is providing scholarships for students who are nationals of Small Island Developing States interested in a fully online or blended Master by research in Islands and Small States studies (full-time or part-time), as well as a PhD programme. More info here.