Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who has been elected to serve as President during
the current Fourth International Conference of Small Island Developing States
(SIDS4) has called out the world’s major polluters whose actions are causing harm
to the planet.
Speaking in his address soon after being elected as president of the conference at
the new American University of Antigua (AUA) conference hall on Monday, PM
Browne said these large-scale polluters, whose CO2 emissions have fueled these
catastrophic climate changes, bear a responsibility – an obligation of compensation
– to aid in the quest to build resilience.
“Our journey towards sustainable development has been repeatedly disrupted by
monumental global crises; among them – the financial meltdown of 2008 and the
unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. These events, exacerbated by the relentless
climate crisis, have severely undermined our efforts to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
“This backdrop makes the call for urgent, multilateral support not just necessary,
but vital for securing our future. We are gathered here not merely to reiterate our
challenges, but to demand and enact solutions,” he emphasized.
The Antigua and Barbuda leader called on the global North, to honour its
commitments, including the pivotal pledge of $100 billion in climate financing, to
assist with adaptation and mitigation, as well as, the effective capitalization and
operationalisation of the loss and damage fund.
PM Browne drew attention to the record high temperatures being experienced in
many parts of the globe this year, noting that the time for action is now.
As has been his style, the prime minister pointed to the oil producing companies
and the role they play in contributing to environmental harm and degradation.
These companies, he added, have placed profits ahead of environmental
sustainability to the detriment of all of mankind.
“Isn’t it high time to end fossil fuel subsidies and for these companies to be held
accountable to reduce emissions and to accelerate the transition to renewable
energy resources to protect lives and livelihoods?
“Shouldn’t a global carbon tax be levied, on these oil companies that are
consistently enjoying supernormal profits, to provide climate financing?” he
queried.
PM Browne also referenced last week’s historic ruling by the International
Tribunal of the Law of the Sea which determined that fossil emissions can be
considered as pollutants to marine life.
He opined that he hopes that these matters can be resolved at future meetings of
COP’s, rather than through legal action. However, he stated that Antigua and
Barbuda and other members of COSIS reserve to right to seek legal redress if
negotiations fail to achieve the required outcomes.
