Earth Today | Countdown to COP28
Small island developing states ready to dive into negotiations
Published:Thursday | November 16, 2023 | 12:08 AM
THE CLOCK is ticking, with now only weeks to go before this year’s global climate change talks (COP28); and Caribbean and other small island developing states (SIDS) are eager to engage in the negotiations, which will impact their survival in the coming years.
SIDS are among those most vulnerable to climate change impacts – from the warming of the planet to more extreme hurricane and drought events, and the implications for undermined water and food security as well as impaired public health.
It is against this background that SIDS have long championed their prioritisation in climate change negotiations. Among some of their specific asks are enhanced access to new and additional climate financing, including attention to loss and damage,and the implementation of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI).
“After decades of being relegated to the back burner, climate change demands our urgent attention now. Record-breaking heatwaves have been felt across the world, but for SIDS, this compounds conditions that threaten our very existence,” noted His Excellency Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr Pa’oleleiLuteru, chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) in a recent statement.
“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in its AR6 Synthesis Report, noted that above a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius, our regions face impacts which may be irreversible,” he added.
AOSIS has represented the interest of some 39 small island and low-lying coastal developing states in international climate change, sustainable development negotiations and processes since 1990.
“We absolutely cannot stand idly by while threats to our food security and water supply increase, and the lands and cultures which are the legacies of our ancestors, our gifts to our grandchildren, slip away. We must – we will – do everything in our power to ensure this does not become a reality,” the AOSIS chair said further.
PROGRESS NEGOTIATION
It is necessary therefore, he explained, that COP28 progresses climate negotiations “with a renewed intensity and urgency to achieve the best possible outcome for our fellow vulnerable islanders on the frontlines of this crisis not of our making”.
“The special circumstances of SIDS must be acknowledged. It is my ardent hope that all countries will live up to their duty and obligation to do right by humanity and curb the worst effects of climate change before it is too late,” the AOSIS chair said.
Indi Mclymont Lafayette, a long-time climate justice advocate and communication for development professional, said it is imperative that the voices of SIDS are heard during the upcoming negotiations.
“It is critically important that the voices of SIDS are heard at this COP. There is a lot of disappointment that progress has been slow on issues such as loss and damage and the implementation of targets to get the 1.5 degree Celsius target. These are issues that threaten the survival of SIDS so it is key that there is strong representation to articulate this,” she said.
Mclymont Lafayette also added her encouragement for Jamaica to play a central role in the negotiations on behalf of SIDS, as they have done in the past.
“Jamaica traditionally has been a leader with AOSIS and this year should be no different. The Climate Change Division has been quieter than normal this year so we do hope that they will be able to mobilise to give a strong showing as per usual,” she noted.
COP28 is scheduled for November 28 to December 12 in United Arab Emirates where world leaders will meet for negotiations and decision-making on climate change. It is also to see the participation of civil society organisations and other stakeholders, including communities on the frontline of the climate crisis and indigenous peoples.
According to information out of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, among the issues to be looked at are solutions that require scaled-up actions this decade in order to “limit warming to 1.5 degrees, build resilience, and mobilise finance at scale”.