{"id":251219,"date":"2025-09-24T23:43:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T03:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=251219"},"modified":"2025-09-24T21:51:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T01:51:05","slug":"antigua-and-barbuda-pm-tells-un-take-polluters-to-court-if-diplomacy-fails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/antigua-and-barbuda-pm-tells-un-take-polluters-to-court-if-diplomacy-fails\/","title":{"rendered":"Antigua and Barbuda PM Tells UN: Take Polluters to Court if Diplomacy Fails"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Antigua and Barbuda PM Tells UN: Take Polluters to Court if Diplomacy Fails<\/strong><\/p>

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Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s Prime Minister Gaston Browne told world leaders this week that small island nations will not hesitate to use the courts to hold major polluters accountable for climate destruction if diplomacy does not deliver results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the United Nations Climate Summit, Browne said attribution science \u2014 research that directly links extreme weather to fossil fuel emissions \u2014 now provides the evidence needed to press legal cases. \u201cIf diplomacy fails, then we should use the courts to hold these large polluters accountable,\u201d he declared.<\/p>

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Browne, who has become one of the Caribbean\u2019s most outspoken advocates for climate justice, framed the issue as a matter of survival. He argued that the 1.5 degree Celsius limit enshrined in the Paris Agreement is not negotiable for small island developing states (SIDS), which face stronger storms, higher seas, and escalating loss and damage.<\/p>

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\u201cFor over a century, the fossil fuel economy concentrated wealth and power in a few nations and industries,\u201d Browne said. \u201cThose who profited most should now shoulder the cost of rapid, orderly, and fair transition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He endorsed the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, which calls for a rules-based phase-out of coal, oil, and gas, backed by finance and technology transfers. At the same time, he criticized the global financial system as \u201cunfit for purpose,\u201d citing estimates that adaptation could cost up to $387 billion annually while current climate finance remains grossly inadequate.<\/p>

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Antigua and Barbuda has charted its own path with a National Adaptation Plan and plans to update its climate targets this year. But Browne said national efforts alone cannot shield vulnerable nations. He urged the international community to adopt the \u201cpolluter pays\u201d principle, expand concessional financing, and provide access to affordable renewable technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet us treat the 1.5 degree limit as a lifeline, not as a line in the sand,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd let us act\u2014not tomorrow, but today\u2014so that the smallest and most vulnerable nations among us are not left to face the greatest storms alone.\u201d<\/p>

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