All Countries Must Act Responsibly and with Ambition, to Preserve Our Climate – PM Holness
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has asserted that the issue of climate change remains a pre-eminent priority for global action.He told world leaders now attending the COP26 Summit in Glasgow Scotland, that all countries must act responsibly to preserve world climate for current and future generations.“While climate change affects all countries, the impact on Small Island Developing States is disproportionately greater. Climate Change threatens our very survival. Meeting the 1.5°C targets is a matter of life and death for us. We are at a pivotal moment in history. All countries must increase their NDC ambition to get us back on track,” said Prime Minister Holness. The Prime Minister’s comments came yesterday (November 1, 2021) as he delivered the National Statement at the World Leaders Summit of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP 26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.Prime Minister Holness emphasized that Jamaica continues to do its part to preserve the planet by engaging in climate-smart agriculture projects, mangrove restoration, increasing fish sanctuaries, and reef restoration, among other projects.The Prime Minister also said: “There are creative funding solutions; for example, with grant support from development partners, Jamaica became the first small island state in the world, to independently sponsor a catastrophe bond which will provide financial protection against losses from hurricanes. Also, with GCF support we have launched a Green Bond Project with our stock exchange towards mobilizing domestic and regional capital to finance resilient infrastructure projects”.Additionally, Prime Minister Holness noted that the pandemic has demonstrated that the world can develop global solutions in record time when its safety is threatened. Importantly, the world has also exuded the need for equity which is critical in responding to climate change.“Countries that have profited the most from carbon over decades, have a responsibility to make resources and technology available to others to adapt and transition to low carbon economies. This was the basis of the 2009 $100 billion per year pledge, which still needs to be met if the developing world is to achieve our resilience and low carbon emission goals,” said Prime Minister Holness.In the meantime, the Prime Minister concluded that to meet the world’s climate ambitions, predictable and less fragmented finance is needed to fund losses and damages suffered by Small Island Developing States.