Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has described the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow as a “public relations exercise”, even as he acknowledged that there had been some “benefits” to the event.
Browne said that the establishment of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law is likely to be one of the most significant outcomes of the November 1-12 conference.
The commission creates an avenue through which larger countries can be held accountable for their role in global warming and its impact on the most vulnerable states.
Prime Minister Browne, who is also chairman of CARICOM, shared the recent views echoed by the executive director of the Belize-based Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCC), Dr. Colin Young who said that the larger countries were basically kicking the can down the road when it comes to meeting their commitments on climate change.
Browne said that among the matters not considered at the meeting included increased subsidies to green energy, reducing fossil fuels and an increased scale for funding for small islands.
