Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit has expressed anger at the developed world over the devastation that Hurricane Beryl caused in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada on July 1.
The category 4 hurricane left six people dead in SVG and hundreds and millions of dollars in damage, according to government estimates.
The hurricane also caused extensive damage on Carriacou, Petite Martinique leaving at least three people dead and millions of dollars in damages.
Skerrit and fellow leaders of the independent countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States visited SVG on Tuesday and toured Union Island and Canouan, two of the southern Grenadine islands devastated by the storm.
Speaking at Argyle International Airport on behalf of his visiting colleagues before departing for the Grenadines, Skerrit said, “I can tell you that I am very upset with the international community, with the developed world for the reluctance in taking on the responsibility in a serious manner.”
He said developing countries have been speaking for many decades about climate change and its negative impact on their society, adding that they have recognised their responsibility “but not a fulfilment of their promises.
“And when hurricanes like this affect us, and we have to live those experiences, one understands how we feel, as a society and how we feel as a people that you now have St. Vincent and Grenadines as we are here have to mobilise the resources required to restore lives and livelihoods.
“And, as we always say, this is a war that’s taking place. But we did not provoke the war. But we are suffering the consequences of the war,” the Dominican prime minister said.
Skerrit said he had “no difficulty” if a country decided to mobilise billions of dollars for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
“But what about us who are subject to a war that we did not provoke?” Skerrit said. “How is St Vincent going to raise these monies to restore lives and livelihoods, which is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars?”
Skerrit, whose country was decimated by Hurricane Maria, a category 5 cyclone in 2017, said the impact of climate change pushes Caribbean countries back several stops every time they try to advance their development.
“In Dominica’s case, for example, when I look at our debt profile, 85% of our debt now on our books has been in response to natural disasters and to replace damaged infrastructure.
“And I want to say to us in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and across the wider Caribbean that we must not continue to see our advocacy only been the responsibility of the Prime Minister and the government of St. Vincent.”
Skerrit said climate change and its impact “is affecting every one of us.
“But we’re not hearing the voices of advocacy from various sectors of society; Not from the private sector, not from civil society, and not from the church in a consistent way.
“And, therefore, it’s an opportunity for us to rally around our advocacy and call on the international community to fulfil their promises.”
Skerrit said that 16 years ago, regional leaders attended the global climate negotiations in Copenhagen, where the developed world made promises.
“… and not $1 has been delivered from Copenhagen,” Skerrit said, adding that promises were also made in Paris in 2015.
“We haven’t been seeing any of those,” he said, adding that he said in his capital, Roseau, the previous day that “the climate injustice is akin to slavery and the injustices of slavery at the time.
“And every time we have an opportunity to go to the international community … But every time we have to attend such meetings, we question ourselves, ‘Should we go? Should we attend?’
“But the reality is, once there is injustice, you must never give up the fight because we’re not doing this for us, we’re doing it for succeeding generations, to ensure that they can have a St. Vincent and Grenadines to enjoy, to ensure that they can have a Caribbean to enjoy.”
Skerrit said Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves has been at the forefront of climate justice in the Caribbean “for more than 23 years, lending a very strong, consistent moral voice on the subject of climate change and climate justice”.
He urged people to move away from focusing in the media and social media platforms from sensation, “and recognise that there are bigger fishes to fry insofar as the challenges confronting our countries. And this is not a political consideration.
“This is a nationalistic consideration. Because at the end of the day, every single person in Union Island is affected. Everyone.”
Skerrit announced his government would contribute EC$1 million to the recovery efforts.
He was joined on the tour by Antigua and Barbuda’s PM Gaston Browne, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Terrance Drew, St. Lucia’s Phillip J. Pierre and Grenada’s Dickon Mitchell.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday Premier of the Cayman Islands Juliana O’Connor-Connolly visited SVG bringing relief supplies and pledging US$500,000 to the relief effort.
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