HEAD OF THE European Union delegation to Barbados Ambassador Mikael Barford is calling for urgent attention to be paid to fighting climate change.
Speaking during the opening of an exhibition to mark Climate Diplomacy Day on Wednesday, he said the effects of climate change have added “extraordinary pressure on an already stressed environment, with direct repercussions for regional economies”.
“Biodiversity and eco-systems are under tremendous strain, foreign currency reserves are limited, water resources are stretched and previously unseen diseases are entering this particular region – and the threat of devastating extreme weather events looms large every year, starting around this time,” he told those gathered at the Old Spirit Bond Mall in The City.
If no corrective steps were taken, he said scientists predicted severe and very uncertain changes which will be irreversible.
“In this part of the world, for example, rising sea levels would significantly reduce the prime surface areas of many countries. Tourism, trade and transport infrastructure, much of which is located in coastal areas, will be devastated, with negative knock on effects on the economy, employment rates [and] crime,” Barfod noted.
The ambassador said diplomacy, adaptation and mitigation efforts have to be “supercharged”
“In the domain of diplomacy, the EU and our CELAC partners, representing 61 countries in total, met at a summit in Brussels last week. The political declaration cemented our joint position that at COP-21 in Paris in December, we must achieve a legally binding, global climate agreement to keep global warming below 2° Celsius.
Of course, we know and will do our best to meet the SIDS/Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) demand of only a 1.5° Celsius increase,” he said.
Barfod called on regional governments to step up their efforts towards achieving green economies.
“Much important research and scientific work has taken and is taking place. Now the civil servants, particularly those in Ministries of Finance, and politicians of the region must transform this knowledge into further action and results on the ground – in a consultative manner with the citizens of the region, he said. (NB)
