{"id":257106,"date":"2025-11-07T06:25:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T10:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=257106"},"modified":"2025-11-07T06:25:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T10:25:02","slug":"video-antigua-and-barbuda-prime-minister-says-lack-of-political-will-threatens-climate-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/video-antigua-and-barbuda-prime-minister-says-lack-of-political-will-threatens-climate-action\/","title":{"rendered":"VIDEO: Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Says Political Will Needed to Drive Climate Action at COP30"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Browne Says Political Will Needed to Drive Climate Action at COP30<\/strong><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

BEL\u00c9M, Brazil (Nov. 6, 2025)<\/strong> \u2014 Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda warned that global inertia and a lack of political will threaten to derail the fight against climate change, as he addressed world leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Bel\u00e9m, Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is needed now is the political will to drive action on climate change,\u201d Browne told delegates. \u201cThe world has the knowledge, the technology, and the financial resources to accelerate the transition.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

He said COP30\u2014described as the \u201cCOP of Truth\u201d\u2014must be remembered as the moment when \u201chonesty met action\u201d and when ambition was transformed into results. \u201cWe lack the time to entertain further inertia and inaction,\u201d Browne said, calling for governments to act decisively to avert planetary disaster.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The prime minister warned that the planet has already reached the 1.5\u00b0C threshold, the very limit small island states had fought to prevent. \u201cFor small island states, the climate crisis is not past tense or future tense. It is our lived reality,\u201d he said, describing the 1.5\u00b0C target as \u201ca quintessential priority\u201d and \u201cour lifeline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He condemned the actions of major polluters, saying they continue to \u201cdeliberately destroy our marine and terrestrial environments with their poisonous fossil fuel gases,\u201d and urged an \u201ceconomic revolution\u201d to transform global production, consumption, and trade.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Browne cited the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean as a stark example of \u201closs and damage,\u201d calling it \u201cnot theory, but tragedy.\u201d He added that such disasters represent \u201cthe bill that nature is now presenting to humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Antiguan leader stressed that climate finance must be viewed as an obligation, not charity. \u201cClimate finance is not charity. It is climate justice,\u201d he said. \u201cThose who cause this crisis must lead in fixing it, and the benefits of the green economy must reach those who bear the greatest cost.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Browne also urged the adoption of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index to direct support where it is most needed and called for a global shift \u201cfrom debt dependency to development justice.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Commending Brazil for hosting the summit \u201cin the lungs of the Earth,\u201d he welcomed the launch of the Tropical Forests Forever Facility as \u201ca bold symbol of global solidarity,\u201d adding that Antigua and Barbuda stands ready to partner in the initiative \u201cnot as a victim, but as a voice of resilience and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browne concluded by urging nations to ensure COP30 is remembered \u201cas the moment when ambition became transformation and when climate justice moved from promise to practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n