April 13, 2022

(CCCCC Press Release 2022/008)

San Pedro, Belize

(City of Belmopan, Belize) There can be no clearer evidence that man-made climate change is driving us to the precipice of irreparable damage and remains a growing existential threat for most Caribbean economies. The facts presented by Working Group III report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) make pellucid that under the current business as usual scenario, we are on course to surpass the 1.5°C limit relative to preindustrial times, this decade.  The effects of overshooting the 1.5°C target will fall heavy on the most vulnerable in our communities, villages, boroughs, and towns.

As the impacts associated with anthropogenic climate change worsen, it is essential that greater efforts are placed on enhancing the implementation of mitigation and adaptation actions pursued jointly where possible, but at a minimum, on equal footing. Furthermore, the urgency in addressing matters related to loss and damage can no more be relegated to the back burner. All these actions will require the requisite financial, technological, and political support if we are to address this grave and present danger. Our people’s lives depend on it, therefore the time for action is now, says Dr Mark Bynoe, Assistant Executive Director at the CCCCC, who is also charged with leading discussions for COP.

While the annual pilgrimage to a specific location to discuss climate change action has become the norm (interrupted only by the COVID-19 pandemic), the results and implementation of the often-non-binding decisions of COP, have been painfully slow and continue to cost the region in lives and livelihoods. We in the region recognize the need to stay engaged at the negotiating table, but it is obvious, we cannot continue this charade without more urgent and tangible benefits for our peoples.

These items will be the focus of an informal structured dialogue between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), and the United Kingdom government this Thursday April 14, 2022. The dialogue will bring together Caribbean Climate Change Negotiators and practitioners, along with the Chief Climate Negotiator for the United Kingdom and his Team to, inter alia,

  • Reflect on the outcomes of the Conference of the Parties (COP) 26
  • Strategize on the approach going into COP 27 to be held in Egypt later this year, in November, and
  • Discuss approaches for enhanced, rapid implementation of the decisions reached at the COPs.

According to Dr Bynoe, “the session is expected to “firmly identify the region’s position on a number of critical issues, inclusive of the need for more ambitious cuts in greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, the imperative to rapidly deliver on the promise to the most vulnerable countries,  of  USD100 annually for climate financing, clearly articulate a pathway for addressing loss and damage, and plan for the operationalization of the Paris Rule book on transparency, carbon markets and common timeframes for reporting on progress (or lack thereof) made based upon commitments of the countries.”

CARICOM Member States negotiate at the COP fora under the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) banner.

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The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre is an inter-governmental Caribbean Community (CARICOM) institution that is mandated by the CARICOM Heads of Government to coordinate the Region’s response to climate change. We maintain the Caribbean’s most extensive repository of information and data on climate change specific to the region, which in part enables us to provide climate change-related policy advice and guidelines to CARICOM Member States.  In this role, the Centre is recognized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Environment Programme, and other international agencies as the focal point for climate change issues in the Caribbean. The Centre is also one of the few institutions recognized as a Centre of Excellence by United Nations Institute for Training and Research. CCCCC is empowering the Caribbean Community to act on climate change.

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