CMC-Laders of the sub-regional Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Tuesday toured the islands in the Grenadines devastated by Hurricane Beryl when it made its way through the Caribbean region on July 1.
The Grenadines include 32 islands, the largest of which are Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, and Union. Some of the smaller islands are privately owned. The northern Grenadines are administratively part of St Vincent and the Grenadines, while the southern islands are a dependency of Grenada.
The hurricane caused extensive damage to Carriacou, Petite Martinique and Union Island leaving at least three people dead and millions of dollars in damage.
The leaders of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia and St Kitts-Nevis were accompanied by the Premier of the Cayman Islands, Julianna O’Connor-Connolly.
Speaking to reporters prior to their departure, St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves described the gathering as “a show of unity” noting also the role being played by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who is chairing a Caribbean Community (CARICCOM) prime ministerial sub-committee on the rehabilitation efforts.
Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit reiterated his disappointment with the international community for its reluctance to take “responsibilities” for the damage caused as a result of climate change.
“We have been speaking about the issue of climate change and its negative impact on our society, our lives,” Skerrit said, noting that the region is engaged in a war “we did not provoke.
“But we are suffering the consequences of the war. I have said I have no difficulty if a country decides that it wants to mobilise billions of dollars for Ukraine which is fighting a war but what about us, who are subjected to a war that we do not promote?
He said the cleanup exercise alone will cost millions of dollars with Gonsalves telling reporters preliminary estimates put the cost at EC$30 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents).
Skerrit told reporters that every time the region makes an effort to advance its development “we are pulled back” and have to resort to external loans to deal with the situation.
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He said Dominica, which was hit by Hurricane Maria in 2017, has a debt profile of 85 per cent, urging academics, civil society as well as the private sector to lend their voices to regional governments in advocating for grants and concessionary loans to deal with the impact of climate change.
“The issue of climate change and its impact is affecting every one of us. But we’re not hearing the voices of advocacy from the various sectors of society. Not from the private sector. Not from civil society and not from the church,” he said, recalling that over 16 years ago, regional countries attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP) in Copenhagen were promises and little delivery ever since.
“We were in Paris in 2015. And we arrived at an accord and …promises made and we haven’t been seen any of them,” Skerrit said, saying climate injustice “is akin to slavery”.
He said climate change is also pushing higher, the cost of living and the cost of goods, as well as raising the cost of insurance for homes.
“We are becoming a society that is almost uninsurable, prohibitive, unattainable, all linked to climate change.,” he said, adding “then you have drought in some countries and flooding in others affecting the the food supply chain because if you look at what the tax regime is in Vincent and Grenadines or Dominica you will see that taxes have not increased, but the price of oil is increasing…”.
Skerrit said even when the developed countries speak about adaptation, “and now they use the word resilience and having to put mitigation”.
Skerrit acknowledged that there is no quick fix to the situation, adding “It’s not going to happen tomorrow is going to take a couple of years.
“It’s gonna take some time and you can only overcome your challenges by working together by being each other’s keeper. And we have to resist the temptations in this Caribbean to allow everything to be seen from a narrow partisan political lens.”
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