Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre, delivered his maiden address to the IX Summit of the Americas held in Los Angeles, California on June 10, 2022. His pellucid message to hemispheric leaders and Heads of Government including United States President Joseph Biden, in part, detailed the scientifically determined consequences Saint Lucia and the Small Island Developing States of the Americas region will likely endure as a result of inadequacies in policy measures and insufficient actions implemented by the developed countries who are also collectively responsible for warming our planet to dangerously high temperatures.
“The world knows that, it is these small islands and developing countries as a whole, which are greatest victims of climate change though not its authors; and it is the wealthy developed countries who are its greatest engineers and perpetrators. In the continental states of the Americas, your people can move inland when these monstrous storms descend. In our small islands, there is no room to retreat, no space to hide. For us therefore climate financing that will allow us to adapt to the effects of climate change, that will enable us to build the resiliency needed to survive it, is of paramount importance.
“It is therefore disappointing that the wealthy developed countries are still falling short of their pledge to raise US$100 billion a year (the deadline for which has moved from 2020 to 2023) to assist poor developing countries to cope with climate change. What is even more concerning is the recognition that developing countries will need more (than) US$ 100 billion a year to adapt to climate change. To complicate matters, it is evident that weaknesses in the climate finance delivery channels are reducing the positive impact of any such funds that are flowing to developing countries,” Pierre said.