Antigua and Barbuda has joined fellow CARICOM member states in adopting a powerful declaration demanding greater global ambition and climate justice ahead of COP30 in Brazil, marking the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement.
The CARICOM Declaration on the Tenth Anniversary of the Paris Agreement and COP30—adopted on October 16, 2025—reaffirms the Caribbean’s unified position that limiting global warming to 1.5°C remains “a scientific and legal imperative.” Leaders warned that small island developing states (SIDS), including Antigua and Barbuda, face intensifying threats from stronger hurricanes, rising sea levels, and ocean warming despite their negligible contributions to global emissions.
The declaration highlights the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (ABAS) as a cornerstone of global recognition for the unique vulnerabilities of island nations. It urges major emitters to “realign their 2035 targets” with the 1.5°C pathway and to ramp up current climate actions, emphasizing that “the time for implementation is now.”
CARICOM leaders also pressed for equitable access to climate finance, calling for a new global goal of at least US$1.3 trillion annually. They stressed that this funding must be delivered through grants and highly concessional terms, with SIDS receiving priority access to support adaptation and loss-and-damage initiatives.
The declaration welcomed the operationalization of the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, which allocates at least half of its initial US$250 million to SIDS and least developed countries. It also endorsed the reform of the international financial system to reflect vulnerability through mechanisms such as the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and debt-for-climate swaps.
CARICOM reiterated that support for developing nations is a matter of “justice and legal obligation, not charity,” and urged that COP30 in Belém, Brazil, become a turning point “from pledges to performance.”
Antigua and Barbuda, which hosted the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States earlier this year, continues to play a leading role in shaping global climate diplomacy and advocating for the rights and survival of vulnerable nations.
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