Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell superimposed on a dramatic poster displayed at the CARICOM Pavilion at COP 29. Credit: Aishwarya Bajpai/IPS
By Aishwarya Bajpai
BAKU, Nov 14 2024 – “Though I come from a ‘no worries’ island, climate change is deeply worrisome for us,” Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell told IPS in an exclusive interview at COP29 currently underway in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Asked how his country was recovering from Hurricane Beryl, Mitchell said the island in the last 24 hours “experienced flash flooding and landslides… So, apart from Hurricane Beryl, we are also dealing with other climate catastrophes.”
However, despite the challenges, the people of Grenada remain hardy.
“We (the people of Grenada) are resilient people. But we will shift the mindset of the people to a long-term perspective, to adapt to protection and sustainability,” Mitchell says. “We (SIDS) are at the frontline of the climatic crisis. It is not easy—we face disruption, loss of livelihoods, damage to property, and loss of lives.”
His country Grenada—a tiny island nation in the Caribbean Sea—faces heightened vulnerability to climate change, and has seen increased frequency of cyclones, heavy rainfall, landslides, forest fires, crop losses, and water shortages.
“It is my first COP, and I have come here to show the world that we need to be serious about transforming the world and protecting the climate.”
Mitchell determination to ensure the best deal for his island country is evident when asked about the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) which has been touted as a game-changing tool expected to save up to USD 250 billion, he responded saying “In the Caribbean Islands, carbon emissions are nonexistent. We have held our end of the bargain—all Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have.”
However, there was more to climate change than emissions, which Mitchell believes are central to the negotiations. He would like to see more benefits to ordinary people affected by climate change.
“Financing should be direct and transparent and should be to the farmers and fishing communities that are suffering the most.”
He said it was disheartening to tell 16- to 17-year-olds the global average temperature increases by 1.5 degrees.
He sighed then continued, “We need to acknowledge that we are falling short of the required standards. To address this, we must focus on climate financing to support mitigation, adaptation, and resource stability. Our goal is sustainable, renewable, and secure energy for the future. We’re prepared to make this transition, but it requires financial backing and strong partnerships to make it possible.”
When asked about his expectations of COP29? He asserted, “It is one planet, one globe. While our carbon emissions are none, we are the most vulnerable.”
He then threw down the gauntlet to the rich countries.
“At COP 29, if the developed world is serious about tackling the climate crisis, they have to take steps to curb carbon emissions and they can finance it. There is no justification for carbon subsidies. There is no justification for not transitioning to renewable energy nor for not financing us to ensure adaptation to the climate crisis.”
Mitchell demands that at COP29 climate finances are rationalized.
“At COP29, we must streamline the climate finances for SIDS, especially by making the processes easier and simpler, without their control. For example, Loss and Damage Funds should go to SIDS for actual loss and damage experienced by these islands,” he says.
The Prime Minister is adamant—the unnecessary bureaucracy in accessing funds is unacceptable.
“We shouldn’t need to create ‘projects’ to secure funding to rebuild schools washed away by floods or to compensate farmers whose crops are destroyed. We are already doing a lot in building financial resilience—we can only go so far!”
Again, referring to his country and the current crisis with flooding and landslides, he says, “we are asking for very concrete steps at COP 29.”
His message is straightforward.
“I will use the famous American saying, ‘Show me the money!’… Put simply, when you have a climate calamity of ‘X’ magnitude, you get it billed. And that bill should be allowed to respond to the direct needs of the citizens without having to pay it back, without charging the interest on it, and without being able to go to the (global institutions) to access it. That’s the kind of manuscript of simple financing we need.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
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