Prime Minister Gaston Browne

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During his address as the newly elected President of the SIDS Conference, Prime Minister Gaston Browne emphasized the urgent need for member delegates to take immediate action to combat climate change. 

He stressed that time is running out for small island states and called for an end to fossil fuel subsidies. 

Prime Minister Browne’s passionate plea underscored the critical nature of the situation and the necessity for swift and decisive measures to address this pressing global issue.

“The large-scale polluters, whose CO2 emissions have fueled these catastrophic climate changes, bear a responsibility – an obligation of compensation – to aid in our quest to build resilience,” PM Browne said

According to him Antigua and Barbuda’s and other SIDS  journey towards sustainable development has been repeatedly disrupted by monumental global crises; among them  – the financial meltdown of 2008 and the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.  

These events, according to Browne, exacerbated by the relentless climate crisis, have severely undermined our efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

“This backdrop makes the call for urgent, multilateral support not just necessary, but vital for securing our future. We are gathered here not merely to reiterate our challenges but to demand and enact solutions,” he said

The prime minister says the global North, in particular, must honor its commitments, including the pivotal pledge of $100 billion in climate financing, to assist with adaptation and mitigation and the effective capitalization and operationalization of the loss and damage fund. 

“These are imperative investments in humanity, in justice, and in the equitable future of humanity. This year has been the hottest in history in practically every corner of the globe, foretelling severe impacts on our ecosystems and starkly underscoring the urgency of our predicament.  

To ignore this, he said “is to gamble with our collective future”.

“Continuing with business as usual is not just negligence; it is an active choice that invites disaster,” PM Browne warned, saying “such indifference will reverberate disastrously, affecting  every nation, every community and every individual across our planet”

He reminded those who turned in physically and virtually, that oil-producing companies, as significant contributors to the environmental challenges that now endanger us all, must be held accountable for their pivotal role in this global climate crisis, in which they have prioritized profits over environmental sustainability. 

“Isn’t it high time to end fossil fuel subsidies and for these companies to be held accountable to reduce emissions and to accelerate the transition to renewable energy resources to protect lives and livelihoods ?”

“Shouldn’t a global carbon tax be levied, on these oil companies that are consistently enjoying supernormal profits, to provide climate financing ?”

Furthermore, Browne’s failure to act will dictate the fate of SIDS, as well as the legacy we leave for future generations.

“It is imperative that we act now; not tomorrow, but today; with conviction and with unyielding resolve. The major contributors to climate change have failed to meet their obligations to mitigate its effects, causing significant harm to SIDS, and our planet in general. 

That is why, together with the then Prime Minister of Tuvalu, I established the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS) at COP26 in 2021, to seek climate justice and advocate for our rights,” he added