Caribbean Countries Will Be Seeking Climate Justice At COP27

Caribbean Countries Will Be Seeking Climate Justice At COP27

Share to Linkedin In November 2022, Caribbean small island leaders will travel some 10, 000 kilometers to lobby for their economic rights before diplomats and dignitaries from more than 200 countries, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt. As representatives of some of the most vulnerable nations in the world to climate change, regional heads of state will request "Loss and Damage" (L&D) funding to help pay for what has become an out-of-control climate-related debt crisis. UN Secretary General, António Guterres has referred to L&D as the "moral responsibility" of rich G20 countries that are responsible for 80% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Small Island Developing States (SIDS), by contrast, contribute less than 1% to total GHG emissions, but are disproportionately affected by and vulnerable to destructive and economically devastating climate impacts. Each year, SIDS experience estimated losses from climate related events equivalent to almost 20% of total social expenditures, as compared to 1. 2% in North America and less than 1% in Europe and Central Asia. Caribbean SIDS are seven times more likely to be impacted by natural disasters than larger countries, and when they are hit by disaster, their average cost of damages relative