International

The front lines of climate change

Prime Minister of Barbados, The Hon. Mia Amor Mottley and the Prime Minister of the Bahamas The Hon. Philip Davis

Nassau – Several Caribbean leaders are gathered in The Bahamas this week for the Regional Meeting to Prepare for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Egypt in November.

This is a strong showing of leadership on this matter and Prime Minister Philip Davis, who has made the climate change issue a focus of his, is no doubt pleased to be hosting high-level colleagues for the talks.

In so doing, Davis is building on the work previous Bahamian prime ministers have done to raise global awareness on the impact of climate change on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like The Bahamas.

Almost three years to the day after powerful Category 5 Hurricane Dorian ripped though the northwestern Bahamas, leaving billions of dollars in damage, the island nation Tuesday welcomed delegates from 17 Caribbean countries and international financing institutions to a two-day high-level summit to address the climate crisis.

The historic meeting, hosted by the Bahamas at a resort in Nassau, comes ahead of the United Nations Climate Conference, more commonly referred to as COP 27, in November in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The goal, said Prime Minister Philip Davis, who lauded the recent passage of the massive climate change bill in the U.S. Congress, is for Caribbean leaders to speak with one voice.

“Our goal is to construct practical financing solutions, ones that help us move forward rather than lead to further indebtedness,” Davis said at an opening press conference. “I remain optimistic about our collective ability to meet the challenge of climate change.”

Davis said while there is no country on earth where the impact of climate change cannot be felt, for small islands and nations like the Bahamas and others in the Caribbean, “the threat is existential. Get unlimited digital access Subscribe now for just $2 for 2 months. CLAIM OFFER “This is the front lines,” he said, citing a report that showed that sea levels rose last year more swiftly in the Caribbean region than anywhere else in the world. The Bahamas and other nations in the Caribbean know they need to rebuild for resiliency and to adapt to the realities of a warming planet, the prime minister added, a task made harder by the impact of a storm like Dorian, which ripped through the country over Labor Day weekend in 2019. “That one storm alone cost our small country billions of dollars,” Davis said. “In fact half our country’s debt can be linked to hurricane damage.”

On the ground, however, many Bahamians do not see the issue as a priority item, notwithstanding the horrific videos that circulated on social media as Hurricane Dorian pounded the Abacos and Grand Bahama in September 2019, and the widespread coverage of its destruction.

For many, cost of living issues are more urgent, as is the case elsewhere.

In April, CBS News reported that with issues like the economy and inflation, crime, and the war in Ukraine weighing most on Americans’ minds, the percentage who think climate change needs to be addressed right now has dipped some since one year ago, but most Americans do think it’s an issue that needs to be addressed now or at least in the next few years.

The European Commission reported on a survey last year that showed that European citizens identify climate change as the single most serious problem facing the world.

Multiple studies have shown that SIDS are particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. While these small states contribute least to global warming, they stand to suffer the most.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development noted in March that for SIDS to survive climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, they need to adopt an integrated approach that

promotes economic diversification, innovative financing instruments, and scaling up the blue economy.

It is a message that Davis and colleagues continue to promote as the need for urgent action by small and large states becomes even more urgent.

Our very survival depends on what is done collectively to address the crisis now.

Last August, a report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that human influence has warmed the climate at a rate that is unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years.

Researchers found that climate change is already affecting every inhabited region across the globe with human influence contributing to many observed changes in weather and climate extremes.

The report projected that in the coming decades climate changes will increase in all regions.

IPCC predicted that coastal areas will see continued sea level rise throughout the 21st Century, contributing to more frequent and severe coastal flooding in low-lying areas and coastal erosion. Extreme sea level events that previously occurred once in 100 years could happen every year by the end of this century.

For SIDS, there are special concerns and interests.

Addressing the climate conference yesterday, Davis stated, “If we advance our interests merely as individual Small Island Developing States, our voices will be dispersed, unable to be heard above louder, wealthier, carbon-producing interests.”

He noted that the Caribbean has been identified as the region with the largest number of indebted countries, due in many cases to borrowing associated with recovery efforts from the impact of climate change.

The prime minister also pointed out that many Caribbean states have already faced challenges in accessing climate-related funds.

“By acting in common cause, we can move with more authority and with greater impact to address legacy issues which have held us back from making meaningful progress,” Davis said.

“… Let us work together to construct a joint solution in respect of climate risk insurance and other climate risk facilities. And let us take practical steps to improve access to climate finance.”

The Bahamas and regional states are wise to strengthen their joint approach in placing the interests of SIDS at the forefront of the global climate agenda.

The urgency of this existential threat cannot be overstated.

International

Washington DC Fifth Graders Learn About Barbados

Last Friday, a fifth-grade class from JC Nalle Elementary in Washington DC, visited Barbados’ Embassy in Washington as part of the Embassy Adoption Program (EAP). The visit was the culmination of a series of sessions which started in November 2024.

The EAP is a global education programme that links fifth and sixth grade classes with embassies and other global entities to provide DC Public School students with a unique opportunity to expand their global awareness.

The class was initially visited by former teacher, now diplomat, First Secretary William Clarke and staffer, Elle Duguid of the embassy. Mr. Clarke and Ms. Duguid taught students general facts about Barbados including its location, history, government, and economy.

During a second visit in December, the students learned about cricket, ‘bajan’ dialect, the island’s festivals, including Crop Over, and also about celebrations held within Barbados.

For the third and fourth visits respectively, the students were informed about We Gatherin’ and Barbados’ geography, nature and landscape. The Embassy concluded its visits to the school with a presentation on climate vulnerability and sustainability in Barbados.

To cap the programme off, students visited the embassy to meet with Barbados’ Ambassador to the United States of America, Vic Fernandes, to whom they made a presentation on what they learned. The students performed a medley of skits and dances highlighting Barbados’ history and culture. After the presentation, Ambassador Fernandes hosted the students for lunch.

Next month, the JC Nalle Elementary students will participate in the EAP’s Mini United Nations simulation representing Barbados. There, the students will debate the important topic of climate vulnerability and deliver a final presentation showcasing what they learned throughout the programme. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Barbados’ Ambassador to the United States, Vic Fernandes (right), and staff of the Embassy of Barbados in Washington, D.C., pose with fifth graders of JC Nalle Elementary

International

CHINA ANNOUNCES VISA FREE TRAVEL FOR SOME LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES

China plans to expand its visa-free policy for five Latin American/#Caribbean countries and offer 3,500 scholarships and 10,000 training opportunities, as part of a five-programme plan to advance shared development and revitalisation with LAC countries. source Caribbean News UK

International

President Xi Jinping urges solidarity, deeper cooperation at China-CELAC meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China is willing to strengthen solidarity with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries and announced five major programs to jointly pursue development and revitalization with LAC countries on Tuesday.

The five programs, solidarity, development, civilization, peace, and people-to-people connectivity, were announced by Xi while delivering a keynote speech during the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum in Beijing.

On the solidarity program, Xi said China is willing to strengthen solidarity with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries and continue to support each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns to firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core and international order underpinned by international law and to speak with one voice in international and regional affairs.

In the next three years, China will invite 300 members from political parties of CELAC member states every year to visit China to facilitate exchanges on national governance best practices, Xi said.

Regarding the development program, Xi said China is willing to work with LAC countries to implement the Global Development Initiative, resolutely uphold the multilateral trading system, ensure stable, unimpeded global industrial and supply chains, and promote an international environment of openness and cooperation.

Noting that the two sides should foster greater synergy between their development strategies and expand high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Xi said China will import more quality products from LAC countries and encourage Chinese enterprises to expand their investment in the region.

On the civilization program, Xi called for the joint implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative. He said both sides should uphold the vision of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness between civilizations, champion humanity’s common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, and enhance China-LAC civilizational exchanges and mutual learning, including through a conference on China-LAC inter-civilizational dialogue.

For the peace program, Xi called for the joint implementation of the Global Security Initiative. He said both sides should cooperate more closely in disaster governance, cybersecurity, counterterrorism, anti-corruption, narcotics control, and combating transnational organized crime to safeguard security and stability in the region.

Regarding people-to-people connectivity, Xi said in the next three years, China will provide CELAC member states with 3,500 government scholarships, 10,000 training opportunities in China, 500 International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarships, 300 training opportunities for poverty reduction professionals, and 1,000 funded placements through the Chinese Bridge program, initiate 300 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects, and support CELAC member states in developing Chinese language education.

China has decided to offer a visa-free policy to five LAC countries and will expand the policy to cover more regional countries in due course, Xi said.

Gustavo Petro, president of Colombia, the CELAC rotating chair, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, and Dilma Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank and former Brazilian president, respectively, addressed the event.

The special representative for Yamandu Orsi, president of Uruguay and the incoming CELAC rotating chair, read out the president’s congratulatory letter.

Faced with a world full of uncertainties, LAC countries and China should work together to promote continuous new progress in building a community with a shared future, they said.

Both sides should respect each other and firmly support each other in safeguarding sovereignty and choosing their own development path, they said, calling for strengthening the synergy between the development strategies of LAC countries and the Belt and Road Initiative and promoting cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, science and technology, new energy and education.

The two sides should also promote exchanges and dialogues among civilizations, safeguard the authority of the UN, support multilateralism and free trade, and oppose unilateralism, protectionism, power politics, and bullying to safeguard the common interests of the Global South, they added.

CAPTION: Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech during the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum, Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2025