Bahamas hosts Climate Change Regional Conference…

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PM Mia Motley and PM Philip Brave Davis at Climate Change Bahamas Conference.

PM Davis: Our country is hosting the first Regional Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In 2019, almost three years ago exactly, our country was hit by a Category 5 storm. Hurricane Dorian devastated Abaco and Grand Bahama, ripping up homes and businesses and schools, shattering families and communities. We live in a region used to fierce storms. But the scale and scope of this tragedy, and the certainty that more Category 5 storms are in our future, underscored not just for Bahamians but for many throughout the Caribbean the urgency of addressing climate change.

This week we come together, with shared determination, so that in November we will speak in one voice at COP27 on the most vital and urgent climate issues of our time. Our goal is to construct practical climate financing solutions – ones that help us move forward, rather than lead to further indebtedness.I remain optimistic about our collective ability to meet the challenges of climate change. I believe we can change course.

There really is strength in numbers. And if we stand together, we are less likely to fall apart. And so this regional meeting is critical.

If we can do the heavy lifting here, our chances of success are greatly improved. We are more likely to avoid the mistakes of the past. We have a greater chance of securing better futures for us all. It is my fervent hope that this becomes an annual event, one where common interests, shared objectives and mutually-accepted protocols, lead to outcomes which will ensure our very survival. It is no exaggeration to say that our very lives depend on it.

The only way forward is together.

UN Climate Change