SAINT LUCIA, Oct 1 (IPS) – Backed by the cooperation and agenda set at their SIDS4 conference in May, small island states are preparing for COP29, with a focus on climate finance and cooperation. IPS spoke with an official from Saint Lucia about that country’s climate action, preparation for COP29 and the importance of SIDS having a collective voice in the negotiations. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are experiencing the most severe impacts of climate change. When those islands’ leaders met in Antigua and Barbuda in May, they let the world know that achieving climate justice depends on comprehensive climate finance.
As they prepare for the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2024 (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saint Lucia is prioritizing this issue, strengthening alliances with other SIDS and seeking critical financing for adaptation and mitigation projects. With the recent enactment of his Climate Change Act of 2024the island nation recognizes that securing climate finance is essential to securing its future.
“This year’s COP is called the ‘Finance COP’,” said Maya Sifflet, Sustainable Development and Environment Officer for Saint Lucia. “The focus is on obtaining the financing we need to mobilize and implement the ambitious climate action we have committed to.”
Saint Lucia, like many other SIDS, faces significant challenges in adapting to the impacts of climate change. Rising sea levels, more intense storms and changing weather patterns are already threatening the economy and infrastructure. Sifflet explained that Saint Lucia has developed a comprehensive system National Adaptation Plan (NAP), which integrates climate action into national development strategies. However, without adequate funding, even the most well-thought-out plans run the risk of falling short.
“Every year countries serve them nationally determined contributions (NDCs), which outlines the climate action they are taking. We are encouraged to make them as ambitious as possible and state the climate action we are taking. Our NDCs now include not only our mitigation efforts, but also our adaptation efforts,” Sifflet said.
Finances are crucial to these plans.
“We need to ensure that our sectors are more resilient: agriculture, tourism and fishing. Each sector was encouraged to assess its risks, assess its vulnerabilities and explore what actions can be taken to build resilience. That is why we have developed several sectoral adaptation strategies and action plans. .”
Saint Lucia has also developed a range of bankable project concepts, which aim to make the country ‘financially ready’ when global funds become available. These initiatives are part of a broader effort to position the country to receive climate finance, either through bilateral agreements or international mechanisms.
Sifflet emphasized that collective action through umbrella groups such as the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is crucial to Saint Lucia’s success at COP29. ‘We negotiate in blocks. Our strength is in numbers,” she said. “Through AOSIS we exchange knowledge, share experiences and strengthen each other’s voices in the negotiations. It is a large arena, it is very controversial and you need that collective presence to have power.”
One of the most important areas Saint Lucia and AOSIS what members will focus on during COP29 is the operationalization of the Loss and damage fundwhich was a breakthrough agreement at COP27. The fund aims to provide financial support to vulnerable countries for losses and damages resulting from the effects of climate change that cannot be mitigated or adapted to.
“Making the Loss and Damage Fund operational would be a major success at COP29,” Sifflet noted. “It is something that SIDS has been lobbying for for many years. This fund means that the global community is willing to put its money where its mouth is.”
Saint Lucia has already conducted a study in anticipation of the formalization of the fund Needs-based assessment of loss and damage to ensure that the country is ready to access financing when it becomes available.
“As vulnerable countries, we are hit hard by climate change, often forced to hit the reset button after each extreme weather event,” Sifflet added. “And it’s not just about economic losses; our cultural resources, things that cannot be quantified, are in danger. There is so much at stake for us as small islands,” she says.
Sifflet concluded that while Saint Lucia’s preparation for COP29 has been extensive, the real measure of success will be securing the financial and global commitments necessary to ensure the survival and prosperity of small islands in the face of climate change to guarantee.
This week the COP29 presidency unveiled a group of programs to drive global climate action. In a letter to all parties, President-designate Mukhtar Babayev said it includes the Baku Initiative on Climate Finance, Investment and Trade, noting that “climate finance, as a crucial factor for climate action, is a centerpiece of the COP29 vision presidency.”
This year’s COP is expected to be a competitive negotiating stage for global climate change financing. Small island developing states will look to major economies and major emitters of greenhouse gases to provide the financial support needed for adaptation and mitigation measures to deal with a crisis of which they had little effect. The stakes for Saint Lucia and other SIDS are high.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service