The Tribune

By LETRE SWEETING

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said he will continue to advocate for “justice and fairness” for small island nations during the current climate crisis ahead of COP27 next month.

Mr Davis made these comments yesterday speaking on his preparation for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which will be held in Egypt from November 6-18 this year.

Mr Davis said he will continue to stand on his statements made at COP26 last November, where he pointed to rising temperatures and natural disasters such as Hurricane Dorian to highlight the effects of the climate crisis in small developing island nations like The Bahamas.

“I am going to continue my advocacy on the issue of how small island developing states are being impacted by the climate crisis and I am now impressing upon my fellow heads that the narrative probably has to change because the narrative over the last 26 years has not produced the kind of results that we think we ought to have had,” Mr Davis said yesterday.

He continued: “We are talking about climate justice and fairness.

“I think we now have to move that argument and call it enlightened self-interest because unless the large emitting countries appreciate that it’s going to impact them, perhaps the universe itself, they’re not going to move,” Mr Davis said.

In August, during the closing session of the Caribbean Regional Heads of Government high-level talks on climate change at Baha Mar, Prime Minister Davis outlined the next steps for COP27 and potential considerations for the region.

He said the Caribbean Regional Heads of Government will attend COP27 in an effort to advance climate action.

Mr Davis said at the time that a draft summary consisting of three to four pages which will outline the proceedings of the conference was currently being prepared in collaboration with the UNFCCC Secretary.

Last year at COP26 in Scotland, he urged world leaders to show courage in the fight against climate change, warning that the world is running out of time to prevent disasters.

At the time, scientists had warned that if temperature continued to rise and wasn’t kept beneath 1.5 degrees Celsius, the planet would experience devastating effects like more deadly floods and more intense droughts.