Caricom Reps Discuss Climate Change at UN Conference

Caribbean Community, or Caricom, representatives are participating in the 23rd United Nations Conference of Parties Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP23, taking place in Bonn, Germany until Nov. 17. 

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There, they are advancing the international discussion of how to mitigate extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and floods, in the wake of hurricanes Irma and Maria, some of the strongest-recorded storms in history.

“For Caricom, COP 23 offers an opportunity to advance the Paris Agreement Work Program, and to strengthen partnerships for climate action targeting financing for mitigation and adaptation,” Caricom representatives said. The issue of climate change and rising ocean levels has become an immediate concern for low-lying Caricom nations.

This is the first time a U.N. climate change conference will be presided by Fiji, an Alliance for Small Island States member. Caricom hopes the move will enable small island nations to further influence the climate change talks and subsequent policies.

Caricom officials at COP23 said they are dedicated to holding larger, more industrialized nations to their 2015 promise to limit their greenhouse gas emissions within 1.5 degrees celsius.

At COP23, Caricom is calling on the international community to contribute US$100 billion annually to help developing countries in their adaptation and mitigation efforts.