Press Conference: What positions do CARICOM Environment Ministers plan to take to the upcoming global Climate Change conference, COP27 in Egypt?

Dr. Joseph Cox, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Secretariat
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the media and thank you for joining us for this press conference where the Minister or the Chair of COTED, rather, will outline for you the outcomes concerning the 105th Special Meeting of the COTED Environment and Sustainable Development as the preparations continue apace with to treat with the upcoming COP27 in Egypt.
Now to lead us off, the proceedings today will be very straightforward, I would think, where we will have a statement by the Chair of COTED, the Senator, Dr. The Hon. Joyelle Clarke who is the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment from St. Kitts and Nevis. And she’ll be supported by Dr. Colin Young who is the Executive Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre.
So. without further ado and indeed after the minister reads her prepared statement, one would expect some questions from the media. What I would ask you to do is indicate your intention to ask a question by one identifying yourself and the agency with which you represent. I would ask that you keep your question as relatively brief so we can move this afternoon proceedings along quite apace. So, with that I will turn you over now to Senator, Dr. The Hon. Joyelle Clarke for her to initiate or lead us with her statement. Minister …

Senator, The Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke – Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment
Timestamp 03:41 – 18:13:
Thank you very much, Dr. Cox.
CARICOM Ministerial Statement Ahead of COP27
Ministers of the Environment and Sustainable Development of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) met at the 105th special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) Environment and Sustainable Development on Friday, 28th October 2022.
The Ministers considered the scientific and geopolitical context as a prospect of a global recession in 2023 which will have significant bearing on global action to address the poly-crises of climate, energy, food, health, environment, development and security. They reiterated that global warming represents an existential threat to CARICOM and reaffirmed their full commitment to limit the increase in global temperature to well below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The Ministers recalled that even prior to the current ongoing geopolitical disruptions in Eurasia, temperatures were slated to increase by 2.7 degrees by 2050 or 3.1 degrees by the year 2100, which would cause higher seas, stronger storms, extinction of plants and animals, and increased deaths from heat, smog, and infectious disease. In this regard, they also recalled that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability released earlier this year confirmed that irreversible damage is already occurring to natural ecosystems, communities, and human rights and will accelerate exponentially in terms of scale and pace if global temperature rise surpasses 1.5 degrees Celsius. The IPCC noted that the window of opportunity to correct course for 1.5 degrees Celsius is narrow and constrained to the current decade. However, the recent UN report on the Nationally Determined Contributions confirms that the world is off track heading to an increase in emissions by 2030 and projecting end of century warming way beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Ministers assessed the signals from major economies responses to the current crises relative to their commitments under the Paris Agreement. They considered these signals to be dire. No major emitter has strengthened emissions targets pursuant to the call of the Glasgow climate pact, the pact and specifically the Paris Agreement long term temperature goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius. There is emergent information that fossil fuel subsidies have continued to increase amongst the group of 20 as a whole and that the whole group of seven is considering new investments in coal and gas, which represent a reversal of commitments under the pact. the ministers expressed serious concern that halving emissions by 2030 will be compromised and that achieving net zero by 2050 will be missed. For CARICOM, any commitment delayed worsens its economic and climate reality.
In this context, Ministers highlighted the region’s top priorities ahead of COP27. They consider the Sharm el-Sheikh conference as the last global political movement in 2022 to recover the 1.5-degree narrative and to mark a turning point for ambition and for action, especially for as the world confronts multiple crises all at once. The Ministers welcome the opportunity to meet in Sharm el-Sheikh and expressed solidarity as Egypt, in hosting expressed solidarity with Egypt, in hosting an Africa COP. Appreciating the similar challenges that Africa and CARICOM face in financing adaptation to the ever-accelerating human-induced climate change crisis even as countries of the region transition to low carbon economies, the Ministers endorsed adaptation as a high priority for the region.
Ministers further call for the COP27 to make remarkable progress on elevating ambition for adaptation on equal footing with increased efforts for mitigation action. They also endorsed the importance of maintaining the pressure for developed countries to take the lead in increasing mitigation, ambition, and associated action and for other major emitters to join in the ambition for maintaining the Paris agreement limit of 1.5 degrees. They also supported the calls for greater investment and collaboration for a just transition agenda.
The Ministers noted that financing for the region sustainable development and climate secure future is of paramount importance. As the regions small and highly vulnerable states continue to adapt, building its social resilience is even more critical. Both public and private sectors are on the frontline of the increasingly intense hurricanes, floods, longer periods of droughts, and intense heatwaves. The Ministers highlighted the need to catapult increasing investments in more resilient public transportation systems, emergency and disaster preparedness mechanisms, water and sanitation sectors, public health systems, agriculture, renewable energy, housing, land use, education and training, as well as social safety nets.
The Ministers noted that domestic resources are being stretched to the limits as the region confronts constant cycle of financing disaster recovery and rebuilding, even as it endeavors to develop low-carbon climate-resilient pathways. The Ministers emphasized that it is therefore critical that developed countries deliver on their goal to achieve the US $100 billion floor per year by 2023 and make a commitment to a transformative climate finance for in 2025. They reiterated the call for climate finance to be disbursed in addition to official development assistance ODA and in the form of grants over loans, so as not to adversely impact the debt profile of low income and vulnerable countries.
Ministers underscored that the current climate and development finance architecture is not fit-for-purpose. It is exceedingly complex, does not operate efficiently, effectively or fairly; neither at the speed and scale needed to address the urgent and pressing challenges faced by SIDS. Because many CARICOM Member States do not qualify for concessional funding due to a systemic reliance on international financial institutions and donors on GNI per capita for eligibility, they are forced to borrow to survive a crisis which they did not instigate. CARICOM considers that the application of GNI per capita undermines the global commitment to SIDS that have international status as a special case for sustainable development and the environment.
CARICOM has been leading the charge to make the global development and climate finance architecture more responsive to the unprecedented needs of especially the most vulnerable such as SIDS. To this end, CARICOM, at the global level through the United Nations and regionally through the Caribbean Development Bank, is advancing alternative metrics which take account of the regions vulnerabilities and susceptibilities to broaden access to affordable funding. Its Member States are also at the forefront of pioneering innovative approaches to public and private finance for building resilience and catalyzing transformative climate action.
Ministers were gravely concerned for the cumulative impacts and compounding risks that are increasingly exacerbating loss and damage in the region. They reiterated their disappointment with the paucity of action at COP26 and to respond, rather, to SIDS’ demands to finally remedy the gap in finance for addressing loss and damage. They expressed their [solidarity] with their firm resolve that COP27 must deliver on loss and damage finance. The issue of loss and damage has for a long time been a priority of SIDS in general and CARICOM played a pivotal role in 2015 in Paris to ensure that the issue was not lost from the Paris Agreement.
Ministers also expressed their mounting concern about the absent of the requisite finding from the developed countries in addressing the matter of loss and damage as dictated by the climate change convention and the Paris Agreement. It is of significant concern that loss and damage has lagged far behind progress on mitigation and adaptation within the UNFCCC. To date, loss and damage has no specific funding stream and has been found through subsequent reviews to be an area where the UNFCCC has much work to do. It remains a priority to the region and a pivotal access for success at Sharm el-Sheikh.
CARICOM endorsed the following way forward for adoption at COP27

A smooth adoption of the finance agenda sub-item titled “Funding arrangements to address Loss and Damage” before work begins.Acknowledgement of the gaps in existing funding arrangements especially under the UNFCCC, as well as the urgent and immediate need for new additional, adequate, and predictable financial resources to assist developing countries to meet the costs of the exposed responses to loss and damage.An agreement to establish a new fit-for-purpose multilateral fund designated as an operating entity of the UNFCCC financial mechanism.A commitment for the further design and operationalization of the multilateral fund through an ad hoc committee for intersessional work.
The outcome of the funds design and setup would then be completed by the COP28 in 2023. The UNFCCC must protect the most vulnerable states in a just transition, leaving no one behind, or risk being viewed as a critical failure in the system. Specifically in relation to climate change, the IPCC has advised that the mitigation potential of states relative to their contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions remains limited while they are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of human-induced climate change. Additionally, the United Nations has stated that SIDS are being disproportionately and increasingly impacted by climate change while their special circumstances make them extremely vulnerable to other external shocks such as geopolitical tensions, market volatilities, supply disruptions, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finally, the Ministers recognized that COP27 will mark the end of a four-year period of CARICOM’s leadership of AOSIS. The region was privileged to witness the support, and support the chairmanship, of Belize followed by Antigua and Barbuda and commend them for the excellent work done over the past four years. Going forward, CARICOM will continue to ensure that its voice remains strong within AOSIS and the group of 77 and China negotiating blocks. CARICOM looks forward to working with the incoming chairs of Samoa and Palau, respectively, to ensure that no opportunity is lost to make significant strides in the campaign to keep global warming well below the limits of 1.5 degrees Celsius and to give us small fighting chance to survive.
Thank you.

Dr. Joseph Cox, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Secretariat
Let me ask Dr. Young to share some perspectives in terms of his expectations as the Executive Director of the CCCCC as we go towards COP27 and given all the issues that have already been raised by Minister Clarke in the COTED Statement.

Dr. Colin Young, Executive Director, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)
Timestamp 20:04 – 25:54:
Thank you, ASG Cox and members of the Media.
It’s a pleasure to join this press conference and to share with you some thoughts on our expectations for COP27. I think the best place to start is to register our absolute disappointment in the outcomes of COP26. As a region, we had gone into COP26 with some high-level expectations, three really, and we left COP26 with none of those outcomes becoming realized.
So, the first issue was around mitigation, cutting back the global emissions of greenhouse gases in line with the science which was saying that we had to cut emissions by about 50% relative to 2010 levels and then make commitments for net zero by 2050. When we tallied all of the emission reduction cuts that were made by developed countries and developing countries, we would still be on a path of increasing global emissions by 14% rather than by decreasing it by 45%. Obviously as temperatures continue to rise, the number and frequency and severity of climate related disasters will continue. And so that was disappointing because the world did not rise to the occasion to put collective ambition targets that would keep 1.5 alive.
The second area was around finance. It is understood that those who most contribute to the problem of human-caused climate change should provide finance technology and capacity building to devote to those who are most vulnerable. They had promised by 2020 to deliver 100 billion a year to developing countries to help us adapt to the effects of climate change. They did not meet that target. Instead, they delivered a plan, a road map, that would see us getting to 100 billion in 2023. And by some estimates, we would be between a 20-60 billion shortfall by the time we get to 2023. Meanwhile, obviously, climate change disasters are continuing in our countries here in the Caribbean.
Thirdly we had anticipated that we would have had an outcome on loss and damage and a facility to assist our countries to deal with the increasing loss and damages that we’re suffering from the effects of climate change.
So, COP26 did not deliver those outcomes. It is obvious that we as a region, as is was indicated by Minister Clarke, that these high headline issues are still on the agenda for COP27 and we are going to renew our calls as you’ve heard from the declaration for these headline issues to be addressed.
Now, obviously, what CARICOM wants and what we end up getting is not necessarily aligned. There are many parties within the convention that who share priorities that are different from CARICOM and so we negotiated as part of the Alliance of Small Island Developing States who are then part of G77 and China. As a result of these larger negotiation negotiating blocks and as a result of the fact that there are different state parties and alliances that have different priorities including blocking what are some of the priorities of CARICOM, the outcomes are obviously uncertain.
Our success is going to depend on the high-level political commitment from our leaders in the region. As you’ve heard in the statement from Minister Clarke, the Ministers are absolutely unified in calling for greater ambition, more finance, more adaptation finance, and for loss and damage. It’s also going to be contingent on our ability within AOSIS to build alliances and allegiances with other groups that are negotiating within the convention.
So, to wrap up is just to say that you know this is the 27th Conference of Parties. We have been at this for 27 years and AOSIS and CARICOM has been championing some of these issues for as long as we have been going to these conventions and in some cases we’ve made small and incremental progress and in others we are still fighting and lobbying for greater action on the part of the developed countries, when it comes to finance ambition and recognizing the extraordinary impact that vulnerable countries like those in the Caribbean are having. Unfortunately, when you’re dealing with over 190 countries who participate in a process like this, it is obviously difficult to get consensus on some of these matters that are very sensitive politically and expensive in terms of the financing. But we call on the developed countries to deliver on their promise and to meet their obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Over.

Dr. Joseph Cox, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Secretariat:
Thank you, Dr. Young. It will be difficult for one to ignore or even diminish the note of pessimism and disappointment that you prefaced your remarks on what was obtained at COP26 and the obvious question therefore is with a perspective that what you have just shared, is there any reason to be more optimistic about the possible outcomes of COP27 relative to COP26? If there is increased optimism, what is it that would dictate that optimism?

Dr. Colin Young, Executive Director, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)
Timestamp 20:04 – 25:54:
Well, the COP27 is expected to be a COP of implementation where the Glasgow pact, those decisions that came out of COP26, where these would be implemented. We have to, of course, as incremental as they were, we have to ensure that those are delivered. And so that’s the first thing ASG.
Secondly, AOSIS, and CARICOM, is supporting this position. It seems to be quite a bit of momentum on the issue of getting an agenda item on loss and damage. CARICOM, and AOSIS, has been fighting for loss and damage for almost 30 years. And we’ve got some language in the Glasgow outcomes on having a dialogue, in other words – talk, but because of the leadership of AOSIS, it seems as though there would be a successful attempt to include a loss and damage agenda item on the on the agenda of the COP. If that was to happen, then it sets up the opportunity for us to eventually work out the details of a facility that obviously can provide grant funding to our member states.
In terms of the optimism, you know, we have to continue to believe and to hope that the world will act in the in the time frame that we need to act to prevent irreversible damage from climate change. If we lose hope, then the work that we do will take on, obviously, less importance. Those of us who have negotiated and the negotiators from the region who continue to punch above their weight, we’re few in number, but they’re absolutely skilled at what they do. You know, they are continuing to fight, and they have seen progress over the many years. We have to use that experience and the belief that the world will act in the interest of humanity to continue the fight. We have to continue to use moral-suasion and political-suasion to impress upon the large emitters that they need to do more and do more fast.
As we know, as a region we are responsible for 0.6% of all of the global emissions that cause climate change but yet we are in the frontline of this climate crisis. So, we’re not the ones that is causing the problem but we’re the ones suffering the consequences of this human caused climate change and we have to continue to make that point and make it front and center to the developed countries for them to do more and do more fast. As the UN secretary general has repeatedly said, “We are fast running out of time and we have to act now to be able to save the most vulnerable among us.”

Dr. Joseph Cox, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Secretariat:
Alright, thank you very much, Dr Young. As I said, indicated before, any members of the media that have all question please raise your hand so we can acknowledge you and you would then introduce yourself agency that you represent and then proceeded question.
But in the interim while we wait for interventions from our media, the question to you Dr. Clarke Minister Clarke would be:
The region has long been known to produce probably anywhere estimates anywhere between a quarter percent and 1/2 a percent of the greenhouse gases but particularly coming out of the weathers obtained over the past year with the geopolitical crisis but with Ukraine and the Russian invasion of Ukraine etc. and they attend that disruptions, one would wonder and based on what Dr. Young said before, one would just ask you the very simple question, are we out of time? Is the region out of time in terms of the climate negotiations and what can we do at this stage to really move the needle to really protect what has been characterized by you and others throughout the statements and otherwise as a as a true existential crisis?

Senator, The Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke – Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment
Right. The science is telling us that we are not yet out of time. We can do some corrective action. But as a region, it may seem difficult. But we are headed to COP27 for reasons and the fact that we have this conference ahead of us suggest that we have some more time still to negotiate. That’s why it’s so important for our collective voices to be heard at this COP. Now, yes Dr. Young, his notes were sobering. It reminded us that after 30 years we could one give up or two continue recognizing that we are inching much closer … [interruption in the feed]

Dr. Joseph Cox, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Secretariat:
Not sure what has happened here. Have we lost Minister Clarke? OK, alright. In the interim, are there any questions from the media? Alright, alright. Let me try to reconnect with Dr. Clarke let me just ask what basically will be a final question, in the absence of any interventions from the media, of Colin Young, Dr. Young. Because Dr. Young, in all of what we have been speaking about thus far without any [ ] to what Minister will speak to when she rejoins. When we are looking at 1.5, we keep hearing about 1.5 to stay alive, but the honest truth of it is that we seemingly, the data would be suggesting that we are on track to far exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius in terms of the warming of the seas, etc. and warming of the climate temperature and I’m just wondering therefore what is it that we can do? What is it that the average citizen within CARICOM, small as we may be in terms of population numbers, what is it we can do in the interim to at least do our part to enhance and the mitigation activities?

Dr. Colin Young, Executive Director, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)
Timestamp 34:15 – 42:37:
Thank you, ASG. Again, in terms of – you’re absolutely right. The science is saying that we are on a path to exceed 1.5 in fact as early as this decade unless there are significant cuts to global emissions, and I mentioned 45% reduction in greenhouse gases relative to 2010 levels. So that’s in order for us to do that and achieve that, the IPCC reports outline strategies of how we can get there I think that was what Minister Clarke was just about to get into.
Things, for example, like the need to electrify transportation and the move away from fossil fuel vehicles to having EV’s. The other one is obviously in terms of electricity, to move away from coal and fossil fuels and to renewable energy. Looking at our food systems and how we deal with the issues of waste. And then also the technology and the use of technology in and helping to capture carbon as well as protecting our forests and our mangroves and our seagrasses. These are areas that are natural sinks for carbon, and we need to ensure that we continue to protect these sinks. We know, for example, that seagrasses and mangroves are absolutely effective at capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
And in many ways countries in the region are already leading and doing more than their fair share in cutting emissions. We have countries with large forests, for example, like a Suriname or Guyana and even a Belize, that on a per capita basis some of these countries may very well be operating at net zero already. Because when you look at the per capita emissions the forest may in fact already be sequestering most of that carbon.
Individually now, you know small acts by many many people do add up into larger numbers. And so, even though we are small in numbers, as I said 0.6 of 1%, clearly our actions do have a positive impact when we undertake behaviors, for example, like moving to renewable energy solutions within our jurisdictions. Barbados, for example, is one of the countries that lead the world in the adoption of solar water heaters. We have to look at how our governments can provide the incentives that would allow our population to then transition from electricity or butane to adopting solar water heaters. And also, the same thing with efficient appliances like air conditioners, and so on, that use and rely on less energy. The movement away from fossil fuels to EV’s in the region is also an important one that also requires a policy and regulatory environment that will stimulate the transition of our people onto EV’s. And then obviously there is the recycling and reusing that we can use to minimize the amount of waste that we generate. Basic lifestyle options can play an important role – the use of bicycles more often, walking when the distances are close, planting trees.
And I know it sounds almost that the problem is so huge, relative to these small individual actions but when it is when there are adopted by large numbers of people, clearly the impact would be larger than anyone person that is doing.
But I also want to say very clearly that saving the saving the world from a 1.5 degree is really not contingent on the small countries doing climate mitigation activities. This is clearly something that has to be led by the largest emitters who are responsible for the most of the climate change. 80 percent – 80% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the G20 and 60% comes from the G7. The US has been historically the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The current one followed by the EU, currently China obviously is leading. So those countries have to be able to undertake ambitious actions to make the biggest dent in reducing carbon dioxide emission. But because CARICOM has always led from the front, and we’ve always put our pound of flesh and we recognize that global climate change is a global problem, CARICOM has also been doing its part in ensuring that it’s undertaking mitigation options while at the same time it’s clamoring for financing to help us adapt to warming oceans, warming temperatures that result in droughts, floods, increase hurricanes, sea level rise, and all of those natural disasters, that will cause significant economic and social damage.

Dr. Joseph Cox, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Secretariat:
Alright. thank you very much Dr. Young. Has Minister Clarke rejoined? No? Alright. Well ladies and gentlemen, since the chair of COTED apparently is having some technical challenges and we don’t seem to have any questions from our media, it is really just left for me to thank you all for your attention this afternoon.
We do hope that through the statement, it has at least provided enough material for you to better inform our publics as we go forward towards COP27. And therefore, we look forward to continuing our engagement with the media and with the wider the public as we continue to fight this battle as we move forward.
Now with that said it is left for me to just thank Senator. Dr. The Hon. Joyelle Clarke is the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Action, and Constituency Improvement in St. Kitts and Nevis, and Dr. Colin Young, Executive Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre for their interventions this afternoon.
My name is Joseph Cox and it has been my pleasure hosting you for these few moments as we continue the dialogue on the road to COP27. So, with that, I bid you all a pleasant good afternoon and even better weekend as we look for the future.

The post Press Conference: What positions do CARICOM Environment Ministers plan to take to the upcoming global Climate Change conference, COP27 in Egypt? first appeared on SKNIS.