The islands are sounding the climate alarm. After the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tuvalu, whose images of the speech feet in the water had gone around the world during COP26, then the archipelago of Vanuatu, which declared a state of climate emergency in May 2022, it is the turn of the Caribbean to challenge the international community. The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) concluded Friday in Guatemala its summit, devoted mainly to global warming.
This organization of 25 countries, in addition to associate members including the France is a part, recalled the significant risks to Caribbean islands and coasts, including rising sea levels and threats of submersion. One of the main topics on the agenda was therefore that of climate refugees, especially islanders. "Our study tells us that by 2050, more than 50 million people could migrate from island regions to continental regions, and this generates a problem of public services, an economic and social problem for all," warned the organization's secretary-general, Rodolfo Sabonge.
Better managing hurricanes
On Thursday, seven residents of the Dutch island of Bonaire, with the help of Greenpeace, launched a lawsuit against the state of the Netherlands, which they accuse of "negligence in protecting the island against the climate crisis" and "violation of human rights". "The effects of climate change will not diminish, they will increase," warned Rodolfo Sabonge, calling for "being creative and innovative" in solving these problems.
The ACS mentioned several projects, including the implementation of early warning systems to better manage hurricanes, which cause death and damage every year in the Caribbean area. "Early warning prevents the loss of lives, prevents the loss of infrastructure" and allows people to be better prepared, the Secretary General said.
- Global warming
- Planet
- Caribbean
- Greenpeace
- Cyclone