TRINIDAD NEWS DAY EDITORIAL: A stirring plea

THE STIRRING appeal recently made by Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne at The Hague for action on climate change was a clear and compelling statement of why the world must act on this issue.

Speaking at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the start of a series of historic hearings that concluded on December 13, Mr Browne put into stark perspective the plight of smaller countries.

“For decades,” he said, “rising sea levels, driven by the unchecked emissions of greenhouse gases, have eroded our coastlines, swallowing land that is vital to our country.”

“Ocean temperatures have risen, disrupting the delicate ecosystems that sustain our fisheries, an essential source of food and livelihoods. More frequent and intense weather events have destroyed homes, decimated infrastructure, and left scars on the lives of our people that no amount of financial aid can truly heal.”

The Antiguan PM further noted large countries can borrow at three per cent, while small countries must pay ten.

“What must small states, or states generally, do, under international law, to protect the climate system for present and future generations? What is the responsibility of those whose actions have contributed disproportionately?”

He concluded, “Antigua and Barbuda stands in solidarity with other vulnerable nations, particularly our fellow small island states. Together, we endure the worst of a crisis that we did not create.”

All of this might have the ring of the self-evident for anyone from the Caribbean, a space routinely hit by hurricanes, such as Hurricane Irma of 2017, which ravaged Antigua and elsewhere.

But that is why this contribution, delivered in proceedings aimed at determining the obligation of states on this topic, matters so much. There is nothing lost in translation.

Mr Browne, re-elected to a third term last year, has told it as it is.

The ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the UN, might not be the most popular institution right now given the increasingly symbolic nature of the global legal order.

However, in many ways this month’s sombre hearings were more meaningful than gatherings like COP 29 in Azerbaijan, which was beset with controversy and disappointment.

While this country continues to tip-toe around net zero given the Government’s wish to maintain the relevance of petrochemicals to our economy, we are clearly affected.

Hardly one challenge is over when another begins. Reservoirs, at long last, have returned to acceptable levels. But meteorologists are predicting a dry season that will be unusually wet. Temperatures soar. Ordinary rainfall causes havoc.

The global situation is destined to get worse given the science and given the return of Donald Trump to the White House.

Mr Browne has shown courage in stating his country’s case effectively. It is time we do the same.

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