CARIBBEAN-CARICOM urged to demand a scaled-up and simplified Loss and Damage Fund.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Dr. Carla Barnett says CARICOM must continue to demand a scaled-up and simplified Loss and Damage Fund, with direct access modalities for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) when the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) gets underway in Brazil next month.

The Loss and Damage Fund is a climate finance mechanism designed to provide financial support to vulnerable developing countries that are disproportionately affected by the adverse effects of climate change. Established at COP27 in 2022, it addresses both economic and non-economic losses resulting from extreme weather events and slow-onset climate impacts, such as rising sea levels and droughts.

Funding helps with immediate relief, recovery, and rebuilding after climate disasters, including infrastructure repair, relocation support, and addressing non-economic losses like cultural heritage loss.

Barnett told a meeting of CARICOM ministers responsible for the environment that the region must also seek a robust new collective quantified goal. This goal should reflect the real cost of climate action, include sub-targets for adaptation and resilience, and be implementable.

In addition, she wants CARICOM to move towards reforming the multilateral climate finance architecture to ensure equity, transparency, and responsiveness to SIDS’ needs, as well as the recognition of SIDS’ unique vulnerabilities in climate finance eligibility criteria.

Barnett told the second CARICOM meeting in preparation for COP 30 that the region must continue to speak with one voice and urge world leaders to act with urgency.
” We must constantly remind the world, lest they forget, CARICOM stands at the frontline of the climate crisis, contributing less than one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet bearing a disproportionate share of its impact.

“Rising sea levels threaten our coastlines and cultural heritage. Intensifying hurricanes, droughts, ocean acidification, and saltwater intrusion are not abstract threats. They are lived realities for our farmers, fisherfolk, tourism workers, and families across every member state and coastal community.”

She said that the COP 30 meeting will be the first to take stock of the Global Goal on Adaptation, a key outcome of COP 28.

“It will assess progress on the Loss and Damage Fund and shape the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance, which must replace the outdated annual US$100 billion pledge, which was never achieved.”

Barnett said that climate finance remains the cornerstone of the region’s advocacy. While global pledges have increased, contributions lag well behind, and disbursements remain slow, fragmented, and inaccessible.

“Small Island Developing States continue to face complex bureaucratic hurdles, eligibility constraints, and inadequate support for adaptation and loss and damage,” she said, adding, “We must also continue to champion innovative financing mechanisms, including debt-for-climate swaps, blue bonds, parametric insurance, and blended finance models that can unlock resources for resilience and sustainable development.”

Barnett said that from the coral reefs of the Bahamas and Belize to the rainforests of Suriname and Guyana, the Caribbean region is home to extraordinary biodiversity.

“These ecosystems are climate assets. Mangroves buffer storm surges, forests sequester carbon, and healthy reefs support livelihoods. Yet, biodiversity loss is accelerating, driven by climate change, pollution, and unsustainable land use.

“At COP 30, we will advocate for greater integration of biodiversity and climate agendas. We must also press for scaled-up support for ecosystem-based adaptation and community-led conservation.

” As always, our positions must be informed by robust technical analysis, grounded in regional realities, as we leverage our diplomatic networks, our scientific institutions, and our civil society partners to amplify our voice.”

Barnett said that COP 30 demands the highest level of strategic political coordination, moral clarity, and regional solidarity.

“Our negotiators have been preparing and must be supported and positioned to influence outcomes. At the CARICOM Pavilion, we will tell our story, not just of vulnerability, but of vision. We must showcase our responses to climate change, our leadership on issues critical to us, and our demands in ways that resonate with global audiences.”

But she acknowledged that COP 30 is not an endpoint; it is another brief stop on a long and challenging journey, 30 years so far.

“Our climate agenda will continue to be embedded in our development strategies, our budgetary frameworks, and our regional integration efforts. But we must never forget that as long as the developed world does not meaningfully accept its responsibility for generating the most significant portion of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming and climate change, our fight to survive will continue.

” Yes, we want to be able to implement mitigation and adaptation strategies effectively and need affordable finance, access to technologies, and meaningful support from our cooperation partners to be able to do this.

“But we must never forget to speak our truth; we do not cause climate change. We bear the burden of climate change. And that burden will continue to grow as long as global emissions continue to grow,” the CARICOM Secretary General added.