A statement delivered to the 67th General Assembly annual General Debate by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, in which she cited climate change as the greater the threats to the survival of countries like hers. “Inaction or inadequate action is inexcusable and morally indefensible, given the level of certainty of the scientific evidence before us and the technological and financial tools at our disposal to effect the necessary change,” she stated.
Although she agreed that a new legally binding agreement that would take effect after 2020 was indeed needed, she also emphasized that it would be meaningless unless ambitious actions were taken now to reduce emissions and support the adaptation of vulnerable developing countries. She called for clarity and a greater sense of urgency in both areas in Doha to avoid potentially catastrophic impacts. Commending development partners that had already agreed to support the initiative of some 22 small island developing States agreed to a spectrum of voluntary commitments for transformation to low-carbon renewable energy, she called for others to join them.
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