Caribbean Trade Law and Development

Tag: Climate Change

  • Youth: The Untapped Resource We Need to Save the Planet

    Youth: The Untapped Resource We Need to Save the Planet

    Johnny Calliste

    Climate change is one of the most alarming global threats of our time, and its effects are being felt by people of all ages, young and old. For a significant segment of our population, though, climate change has become a particularly pressing issue; for the youth, the future of their planet is in jeopardy, and their outlook on the world is quickly shifting to reflect that.

    Climate change is already having numerous impacts on the lives of youth worldwide. Young people are witnessing and actively experiencing its effects first-hand, whether through extreme weather events like floods, droughts, freak storms, wildfires or increased air and water pollution. These alterations make accessing various activities, from leisure to livelihoods, more challenging. Youth are then met with reduced opportunities for meaningful growth and engagement in a world increasingly shaped by the unpredictability of extreme weather events. Moreover, the emotional distress experienced by youngsters when contemplating the effects of climate change on their future is alarming.

    Over the past few decades, the Caribbean region has experienced a significant shift in weather patterns, resulting in an increased frequency of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts. This has significantly impacted the region, with effects seen from Jamaica in the north to the South American area. From 2019 to 2022, the Caribbean experienced severe storms that caused immense damage and loss of life. Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas in 2019, leaving behind a trail of destruction with at least 70 people dead and over $3 billion in damages. In November 2020, Hurricanes Eta and Iota struck the Northern Caribbean and Central America, leaving over 200 people dead and forcing thousands to flee their homes. In 2021, a series of hurricanes hit the Caribbean island of Dominica. The first hurricane to land was Hurricane Grace in late August, causing significant damage to the island’s infrastructure and leaving thousands without power. A few weeks later, Hurricane Ida unleashed even more devastation on the battered island. Many more countries in the region have faced a similar fate of the rise in freak storms.  Higher temperatures and increased precipitation have also caused the spread and increased presence of invasive species, including the Sargassum seaweed.

    Sargassum seaweed is a brown alga belonging to the Sargasso family. It is commonly found in the pelagic regions of the ocean and is known for forming large floating masses, referred to as the Sargasso Sea. Seaweed is essential in marine ecosystems as it provides shelter and food for sea animals such as turtles, crabs, and fish. Despite its significance, sargassum seaweed growth can become invasive if not properly managed and controlled, as excessive growth can pose risks to human health and disrupt aquatic ecosystems. Sargassum seaweed began attracting international attention when it washed up on Caribbean islands in the summer of 2011. This trend, commonly called the ‘sargassum bloom’, has continued every year since then in varying amounts.

    The seaweed contains chemicals, such as ammonia and hydrogen sulphide, which harm human health. For example, they can cause rashes and other skin irritations in contact with the skin. At the same time, inhaling sargassum-associated air pollutants often leads to respiratory tract irritation, asthma attacks, and other related illnesses. In addition, the seaweed serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which is particularly of concern for those living in coastal regions, as the insects are vectors of severe illnesses such as malaria, Zika and dengue fever. As such, the physical health of youth living in affected areas is often compromised due to the presence of sargassum seaweed.

    Not only do the massive accumulations of seaweed create an unsightly landscape and block access to beaches, but they also considerably harm economies dependent on the tourism industry and the sale of seafood. Excessive persistent sargassum seaweed not only has a direct economic cost due to the expenses incurred in its removal and disposal, but it also has an indirect economic cost in that it drastically reduces local tourism, leading to a decrease in revenue for beach-associated businesses and a subsequent decrease in job opportunities for youth living in the area.

    As the effects of climate change worsen, the implications can be seen in new generations through the increased burden of mental health issues and psychological distress. Youth are particularly vulnerable to the psychological impacts of global warming, especially when the livelihood of their parents, communities, and themselves faces the threat of becoming socioeconomically vulnerable.

    Today, youth are more conscious and aware of their environment than ever and are part of a significant and inspiring movement sweeping the world. Climate change’s economic, environmental, and political implications are becoming increasingly apparent, and young people are responding with innovative, inspiring initiatives. Their critical involvement is essential to tackle the climate crisis, especially considering their broad outreach and ability to spur change quickly. For example, in Grenada, groups such as the Caribbean Youth Environment Network-Grenada (G-YEN) and Leo Clubs of Grenada, Rotaract Club and various School groups have been engaged in activities and public awareness campaigns that have proven practical ways to draw attention to environmental causes and bring about change.

    To further support these efforts, international organisations such as the Global Youth Environment Assembly (GYEA-UN), convened by the UN Environment Programme and Global Youth Climate Action Fund (GYCAF), provide small grants and finance that support the youth’s role in this fight. In addition, they spread awareness, inspire and encourage child to act, and connect youth organisations and activists worldwide. On the international scale, young people use social media platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram, and Facebook to organise initiatives such as global climate strikes and participate in online petitions and discussions.

    The youth are proving that their innovative solutions can tackle and resolve some of the most complex climate challenges. Despite the daunting task of halting global warming, these young people are bringing the fight to the politicians, corporations, and communities, exhibiting impressive determination and creativity.

    Encouraging youth participation in local initiatives such as community clean-ups, smart agriculture & composting programs, and renewable energy projects helps young people see the impact they can have on the environment. Additionally, donor-funded agencies can further empower youth initiatives by providing more grant funding opportunities and funding pools to support their efforts, especially at the community level. It must be noted that while many funding streams are available to support climate resilience projects, youth are often unable to mobilise these resources since they lack the skills and competence necessary to create winning proposals to secure funding. Therefore, capacity building and training in resource mobilisation strategies can form an integral part of the support given to youth climate advocates and groups.

    Providing funding to support youth-driven innovative climate-smart small businesses and cooperatives is an excellent strategy for allowing creative young entrepreneurs to contribute to promoting climate resilience while earning sustainable income and providing employment opportunities. In the Caribbean, one such business example is the attractive option for sustainable business ventures that the Sargassum seaweed offers. It can be used in various industries, such as agriculture, cosmetics, and animal food production. Sargassum seaweed is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it ideal for fertilising and processing into fertilisers and animal feed supplements. Businesses supported through a grant or concessionary business loans are bound to enjoy high yields given the low competition in this field of speciality. With its numerous benefits and growing concern surrounding consumer sustainability, start-ups utilising sargassum seaweed have great potential to succeed in the marketplace.

    All in all, the Caribbean must recognise and appreciate what the youth are doing and support their journey in every way possible if we are to have any chance at solving the critical issue of climate change and essentially saving the planet.

    Johnny J. Calliste, MSC, CMC, Dip (M&E) is a Grenadian with a master’s degree in International Business from the Arthur Lok Jack GBS-University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. He also holds post-graduate certifications in Youth Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Project Risk & Cycle Management, and Human Resource Management.  He is preparing for doctoral studies/research in Developmental Economics and Public Policy Management. Johnny works in the Global Development sector with an international organisation and is a climate change and youth development aficionado. As part of his studies, he will conduct considerable research to understand climate change’s socioeconomic and psychological impact on Small Island Developing States. Please feel free to contact him via LinkedIn.

  • Could citizenship by investment be a homegrown solution to address loss and damage?

    Could citizenship by investment be a homegrown solution to address loss and damage?

    Javier Spencer, Guest contributor

    Javier Spencer

    “We have lost everything” is the harrowing cry you would hear from someone in the aftermath of a climate disaster. And ‘everything’ in this context is not a hyperbole but a stark reality. For instance, the paradise islands of Barbuda (part of Antigua & Barbuda) and Dominica were hit by catastrophic hurricanes in September 2017. The hard blow experienced by both islands resulted in permanent infrastructural damages, economic losses, and losses of lives and livelihoods. The onset of these disasters has been coming at an increased frequency with incomparable strength. Citizens of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have no choice but to toil forward in fear – not knowing when or how strong the next hit will be.

    After the catastrophe has departed, it leaves a dismal recovery for these Caribbean SIDS. These countries are characterized by small size, high debt burdens, and limited physical resources that make it particularly challenging to address the adverse impact of climate change disasters. This is what we call “loss and damage”. The consequences of climate change fast outpace the ability to adapt, coupled with the lack of resources to exploit in the face of a climate disaster. Out of curiosity, could Citizenship By Investment Programmes (CBI) in the Caribbean be one way to raise urgent finance to address loss and damage? This article considers whether these programmes could be one way to raise quick cash to address loss and damage.

    The binary view of loss and damage shows one side as economic losses and the other as non-economic, but both categories are often woven tightly together. On the one hand, economic loss and damage emanates from productive sectors being negatively affected by climate change. In contrast, non-economic loss and damage, on the other hand, is simply the unreckonable human casualties – that is, the loss of life, the human displacement, and even the proliferation of physical and mental illnesses.

    The writing on the wall is that Caribbean SIDS lack the requisite resources to build resilience and to merely implement adaptation and mitigation strategies equivalent to the extent of the resulting damage. Owing to this, developing countries, particularly SIDS, have for thirty years vociferously implored developed countries to agree to establish a multilateral fund that would assist them in tackling loss and damage.

    The key tenets of the multilateral fund, however, are ‘new’ and ‘additional’. This means that the funding arrangement should be separate and distinct from existing global financial structures marred by eligibility criteria checkboxes that would exclude most SIDS – the most climate vulnerable – from accessing these funds. Furthermore, a specific, fit-for-purpose multilateral funding arrangement that is governed under the oversight of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) would guarantee access for vulnerable countries, establish legitimacy and enhance transparency.

    The logic is solid and cohesive. Yet, the road to a consensus to establish the fund was daunting and met with resistance from developed countries. Nevertheless, history was made by the sound of the gavel at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Parties finally agreed to establish a long-awaited loss and damage fund for assisting developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. This would compensate the most climate-vulnerable countries, which have contributed inconsequentially to the climate crisis.

    Now that there is an agreement, what’s next? The next hurdle is negotiating the operationalisation of the fund – what are the sources of finance? What will the fund look like? How will it be administered? And more importantly, how soon will beneficiaries be able to access the fund? With these looming questions and details to iron out, operationalising the fund could be lengthy. But time is a luxury that SIDS cannot afford.

    As cynical as this question may be, what if the fund takes another 30 years to operationalise? Some reports have indicated that the cost of weather-related events in 2021 is estimated at US $329 billion globally. In the context of Caribbean SIDS, out-of-the-box fundraising might have to be employed to fill the void and supplement a fund.

    Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programmes have met favour with some Governments in the Caribbean in generating quick revenue outside of traditional revenue streams to repay debts, invest in development projects, and fund other initiatives. CBI Programmes grant investors citizenship for significant investment contributions to the economy. These programmes currently exist in Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Antigua and Barbuda.

    So far, these programmes are proving to be one way to generate foreign investment quickly. For instance, between 2016 to 2021, reports have shown that  the CBI programme generated an annual average for  Saint Lucia, XCD $ 30 million; Grenada, XCD $ 3 million; and Antigua Barbuda, XCD $ 33 million.

    Looking at the dollars and cents at the surface shows that CBI programmes could be a veritable income generator. Zooming in, with specific reference to the one in Antigua and Barbuda, the investment options for investors are the National Development Fund (NDF), Real Estate, Business Investment, and the University of the West Indies (UWI) Fund.

    In spite of the dollars and cents, these programmes have received negative global press – bringing into question governance, accountability and transparency. Ironically, the same carbon-emitting developed countries are the ones scrutinising CBI programmes in Caribbean SIDS. The increased scrutiny has certainly impacted these countries through blacklisting, tax haven labelling, and visa restriction for passport holders from these countries.

    Very soon, we could see a rapid decline or even a sudden halt in CBI programmes. But while they are still alive, now is the time to consider adding a new investment stream: Climate Resilience Fund. This new revenue stream would be exclusively used to address loss and damage. Establishing this would require the integration of relevant local and authorised environmental agencies and a robust transparency and accountability framework that governs these programmes. This article should not be misconstrued to replace the multilateral loss and damage fund but rather a speedy self-fundraising mechanism to supplement the fund. Is this feasible?

    Javier Spencer is an International Trade & Development professional with keen interests and specialization in Global Business, Communications and Diplomacy.  You are free to reach out to Javier via email at javier@javierspencer.com or on LinkedIn.

  •  CARICOM Declaration on Climate Change leading up to COP26 (re-issued)

     CARICOM Declaration on Climate Change leading up to COP26 (re-issued)

    CARICOM Secretariat:



    “1.5: Ambition to Defend the Most Vulnerable”
    Underscoring that Small Island and low-lying coastal Developing States (SIDS) are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and have been internationally recognized as a special case for sustainable development,
     
    Recalling the Special Report of the IPCC on 1.5°C and the recent IPCC Report which confirms that the current decade is the final opportunity to keep 1.5°C within reach,
     
    Gravely concerned that global average warming has already reached 1.2°C, and the prospect of exceeding 1.5°C in the 2030s is imminent, noting in this regard that the IPCC projects that global warming could rise to 2.7°C by the end of the century,
     
    Alarmed that even at 1.5°C SIDS will continue to experience the worsening of slow onset events and extreme events including more intense storms, along with heavy or continuous rainfall events, ocean acidification, increased marine heatwaves, rising sea levels together with storm surges resulting in coastal inundation, saltwater intrusion into aquifers and shoreline retreat, as well as the continued overall decline in rainfall, increased aridity, and more severe agricultural and ecological droughts,
     
    Recognizing that these impacts threaten both human and natural systems, and that the already steep social, economic and environmental costs have already exceeded the Region’s overall capacity to adapt,
     
    Underscoring thus the limits to the region’s adaptive capacity, the increasing evidence and the growing toll of loss and damage, with cataclysmic and existential implications for the Caribbean,
     
    Emphasizing with consternation that while the Region emits roughly 0.2% of global greenhouse gases, it is disproportionately bearing the costs of a climate crisis it did not create,
     
    Further emphasizing that the ineligibility of CARICOM Members to access grant or concessionary support has contributed to increasing unsustainable debt burdens that are grossly exacerbated by the economic fallout from the continuing COVID-19 pandemic as well as other shocks including extreme weather events,
     
    Noting that developed countries have failed to deliver on the long-term climate finance goal of providing at least USD100 billion per annum by 2020, and continue to channel most resources to mitigation, with adaptation making up merely 20 percent of climate finance thus far, Noting also that the scale of the current finance goal and the rate of disbursement of financing is incommensurate with the scale of the needs of developing countries to implement their climate plans which is estimated to be in the range of trillions of dollars,
     
    Noting that despite the climate crisis not being of their making, SIDS have had to use their own resources, constrained by COVID, debt, a lack of policy and fiscal space wrought by global financial norms and inflexible rules, an absence of support, and, for some, the millstone of being classified as middle-income countries, to finance the climate crisis, jeopardizing progress towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.
     
    Highlighting thus the need for a new collective quantified goal on climate finance that shifts from billions to trillions and adequately as well as predictably addresses the needs of developing countries in a timely fashion,
     
    Taking note of the UNFCCC Synthesis Report which concludes that current NDCs fall far short of the mitigation ambition to maintain global temperatures below 1.5°C, and highlighting in particular that the major emitters especially those with historic responsibility have not submitted NDCs consistent with 1.5°C,
     
    Underscoring that members of the Group of 20, who account for 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, have the greatest mitigation potential to curb emissions and keep 1.5°C within reach,
     
    Recognizing that the Conferences of the Parties to the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement are meeting for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, and that it is expected to complete the Paris Agreement Work Programme in order to strengthen accountability, transparency and ensure environmental integrity, in line with the Paris Agreement and its subsequent Work Programme,
     
    Recognizing also that this COP marks the first five-year cycle since the adoption of the Paris Agreement and therefore it is a first opportunity to examine Nationally Determined Contributions in light of the goals of the Paris Agreement,
     
    Convinced that, in light of the foregoing, COP26 is the last best chance to keep 1.5°C within reach,
     
    Resolved to engage across all of society to amplify a robust regional response to climate change, and motivated to do so to secure a safe climate future for our young people,
     
    We, the CARICOM Ministers with responsibility for Climate Change, hereby declare that the Region faces a climate emergency and unavoidable loss and damage. We call urgently for unswerving global solidarity to deliver ambition, timely action, and support, for a just transition this decade with the aim of limiting global warming to well below 1.5°C. We demand climate justice and the assurance that our survival will not be compromised. We call upon leaders at COP26 to close the emissions gap, scale up finance particularly for the most vulnerable, and agree on rules to guide parties to progressively increase and demonstrate highest ambition.
     
    To close the emissions gap, we call on leaders of the Group of 20 to commit by COP26 to:
     Urgently close the emissions gap in order to maintain global warming to well below 1.5°C; Deliver, well before the global stocktake in 2023, new NDCs with 2030 targets that are consistent with the 1.5°C temperature goal and credible net zero by 2050 long-term strategies; Support efforts to encourage the aviation and shipping sectors to align with the Paris goals; and, Provide fair and just compensation for ecosystem services provided by forests regarding climate and atmospheric regulation; Support efforts to conserve and enhance reservoirs and sinks of greenhouse gases, including forests. Ensure a green and sustainable approach to the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 
    We resolve to continue to do our part to contribute ambitious climate plans and in this regard:
     Commend fellow Member States who have already submitted ambitious targets and note encouragingly the efforts of others to finalize their submissions; and Commit to marshal all efforts to present low emission development strategies in line with a net zero by 2050 commitment and adaptation communications or adaptation plans, as appropriate. 
    We also underscore the need to optimize synergies between climate action and COVID-19 responses to ensure a green and sustainable approach to the recovery and plea for the international community to urgently support:
     CARICOM Members rapid access to grants and other sustainable and affordable financial instruments, Improved modalities of access for the Region to climate finance including at the sub- national and local levels, direct access modalities as well as direct financing mechanisms, simplified approval procedures, innovative financial arrangements such as debt for climate swaps Regional efforts to develop capacity, and access fit for purpose, state of the art technology, to improve and accelerate responses to climate change, and to strengthen monitoring and reporting, Dedicated funds for adaptation and for loss and damage for SIDS; and,Debt forgiveness, debt relief, and increased liquidity for the region. 
    To close the finance gap, we call on developed countries to:
     Deliver on their goal of at least USD100 billion per annum by 2020, aiming for a balance between mitigation and adaptation, and to progressively scale up finance from the floor of USD100 billion p.a.; Submit a credible plan for the period 2020 through to 2025, on delivering and going beyond the floor of USD100 billion p.a., that includes a specific target to significantly increase finance for SIDSin accordance with our needs, and modalities for fast-track financing in keeping with the emergency we face; Ensure that all CARICOM Member States are able to access climate finance as grants and other concessionary instruments on affordable terms bearing in mind the lender’s responsibility not to undermine a country’s debt sustainability; Provide dedicated funds additional to the USD100 billion p.a. floor to support the Caribbean and other SIDS in proactively responding to loss and damage already being incurred; Support the establishment of a formal replenishment process for the Adaptation Fund; Agree to a process for the new climate finance goal to be disaggregated to address: adaptation; mitigation; loss and damage response; just transition; transparency; readiness and enabling activities; and mechanisms supporting capacity building, technology transfer and providing technical assistance to developing countries; a sub-goal for non-state actors; specific attention to the needs and capabilities of Small Island and low-lying Developing States; and, transparency and consistency in reporting, linked to the enhance transparency framework and the implementation and compliance mechanism of the Paris Agreement; and At the regional level, to enhance capitalization of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility. 
    We also welcome the additional support of others in a position to do so.
     
    To finalize the Paris Agreement Work Programme, we commit to work with all delegations:
     Guided by the objective of enabling the highest possible ambition so as to maintain global warming to well below 1.5°C and to keep all Paris goals within reach, to elaborate article 6 rules and guidance emphasizing the need to address the core issues of: environmental integrity, A substantial discount rate on carbon credits in order to accelerate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for the overall mitigation of global emissions in line with the 1.5°C temperature goal, corresponding adjustments, avoidance of double counting and carryover of Kyoto Protocol units, a defined share of proceeds that provides a significant predictable and sustainable source of finance contributing to the scaling up of adaptation finance that can be channeled to the Adaptation Fund; and capacity building and technology transfer for developing countries to participate in the range of available article 6 approaches; To ensure that in the operationalization of the rules and guidance of article 6 that developing countries are able to fully and effectively participate in, contribute to and benefit from market and non-market approaches; Finalise the arrangements for the implementation of the enhanced transparency framework in line with the modalities, and guidelines agreed under the Paris Agreement Work Programme and in accordance with the principles of transparency, accuracy, consistency, completeness and comparability; and, expand capacity building support for SIDS and LDCs especially for generating data, and for reporting on support needed and received; Synchronize nationally determined contributions (NDCs) preferably on a five-year timeframe with the aim of enabling progressive increase of ambition to limit global warming to well below 1.5°C; Establish a process utilizing the best available science, to support the implementation, and assessment of progress of activities towards achieving the global goal on adaptation; and, Agree on a time bound process for the full operationalization of the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage that will ensure that the Network can deliver on its mandate to developing countries, with adequate support, both institutional and financial.
    Finally, we recall that thirty years ago, SIDS raised the issue of loss and damage and the need therefore for international cooperation to prevent dangerous anthropogenic climate change. Thirty years later we are facing dangerous climate change and the SIDS are dangerously on its frontline. Clearly the models have not worked and there must now be renewed effort, renewed commitment and a different way of thinking.
     
    We urge all leaders at COP26 to finally confront the reality of loss and damage in SIDS and to identify robust options on a way forward for the UNFCCC to deliver action and support that responds to this reality and ensures our survival. We emphasize that there is no more time for equivocation and no more time for delay.
  • US Rejoining Paris Agreement: Important Step Forward but Giant Leaps Still Needed

    US Rejoining Paris Agreement: Important Step Forward but Giant Leaps Still Needed

    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

    “And just like we need a unified national response to COVID-19, we desperately need a unified national response to the climate crisis because there is a climate crisis.” – Remarks by President Joe Biden Before Signing Executive Actions on Tackling Climate Change, Creating Jobs, and Restoring Scientific Integrity

    Alicia Nicholls

    On February 19, 2021, the international community warmly hailed the United States’ (US) formal rejoining of the Paris Climate Agreement, some 107 days after its withdrawal under the previous administration. The Paris Agreement was concluded and adopted on December 12, 2015 by 196 Parties at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Twenty-first Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in Paris, France. It was the product of many years of efforts, but entered into force in record time on November 4, 2016.

    Under the Agreement, parties commit to taking actions to hold the global average temperature increase to “well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels”, while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To meet the Paris Agreement’s goals, countries are to submit nationally determined contributions (NDCs), outlining their post-2020 climate actions to reduce their national emissions and to adapt to climate change. NDCs are to become progressively more ambitious every five years. However, for developing countries, while financing is needed to achieve these efforts, the gap between mitigation and adaptation needs and available funding remains wide.

    This article discusses the significance of the US’ rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement. It argues that after taking several steps backward under the previous administration, the US’ recommitment to climate action is a welcomed step forward for increasing ambition in global mitigation efforts. It further posits, however, that nations must make giant leaps in their climate response ambitions to avert the worst case warming scenario. All developed nations should ramp up financing for developing countries’ climate action efforts, especially given the COVID-19 shock wrought on the economies of many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

    The steps backwards

    As a global challenge, climate change requires international cooperation for corrective action to be meaningful. Under the Barack Obama administration, the US was among the parties which negotiated and signed the Paris Agreement under the UNFCCC framework. Then Secretary of State, John Kerry, now President Biden’s Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Change, famously signed the Agreement on the US’ behalf with his granddaughter on his knee. Under the Obama Administration, the US committed under the Paris Agreement to reducing its emissions to 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025.

    Even before assuming office officially, President Donald Trump quickly announced plans to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement, which he claimed was designed to kill American jobs. The Agreement’s withdrawal clause effectively bars any Party from withdrawing from the Agreement before a three year period from the Agreement’s entry into force for that party had elapsed, and such withdrawal would only take effect one year after.

    In the interim, President Trump rolled back or weakened over 100 Obama-era climate and environmental policies and regulations, covering anything from regulating vehicle to power plant emissions to endangered species. He also actively promoted the greater use of coal and other fossil fuels, and in his final days in office, he approved oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

    On the five year anniversary of the Agreement’s signing, President Trump ‘honoured’ his campaign pledge and made the US the only country to date to pull out of the pact on November 4, 2020, just two days before the US presidential election. Although US action on climate change at the federal level ceased under the Trump administration, some States whose mayors, Governors and CEOs signed on to the “We’re still in movement” thankfully continued to implement clean energy and climate-friendly reforms.

    The steps forwards

    The world breathed a collective sigh of relief upon news of President Joe Biden’s election win which, among other things, brought the assurance that the US would once again follow the science that anthropogenic (man-made) climate change was real and urgent global action was needed to avert the looming climate crisis.

    On his first day of office, President Biden signed a letter of acceptance of the Paris Agreement. On January 27, 2021, the White House issued a comprehensive executive order drawing attention to the urgency of the climate crisis and making some key decisions, such as the establishment of a National Climate Task Force and a commitment to make climate change both a national and US foreign policy priority. Moreover, by twinning climate action with his economic recovery plan, Biden’s proposed $2 trillion dollar stimulus aims not only to ramp up US climate action to protect the planet, but to create jobs and promote US economic recovery in an environmentally sustainable manner.

    The giant leaps needed

    President Biden has called for bold climate action and given the four year lapse in federal action, he may have to propose targets which are more ambitious than the Obama-era targets. But he will need congressional support and action if his climate policies are to have any durability as executive actions can only go so far and can be easily overturned by a subsequent president.

    Other major polluting nations will also have to step up to the plate. According to the World Resources Institute (WRI) reporting, ten nations account for over 68% of global GHG emissions. China ranks as the world’s largest polluter emiting 26% of global GHGs, followed by the US at 13%, the EU at 7.8% and India at 6.7%. In a TedTalk held on the same day as the US’ rejoining of the Paris Agreement took effect, Special Envoy Kerry called the upcoming COP26 talks to be held in Scotland, UK later this year the “last, great hope”. He also accused other major polluters of not doing enough to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, while noting that a global climate summit the administration will host on April 22 (Earth Day) will, inter alia, seek to increase ambition in advance of COP26.

    Although the COP26 was postponed from last year due to COVID-19, an ambition summit was held in December 2020 in which several parties pledged net zero targets. China’s President Xi in December 2020 restated China’s commitment to reach peak carbon levels by 2030 but upgraded China’s ambition level by pledging a carbon intensity reduction of over 65% on a 2005 baseline by 2030. Of note was that several SIDS were among those 75 countries which pledged new commitments at the Climate Ambition Summit. Barbados, Fiji, the Maldives and Nauru were among the countries which made net zero-related pledges, according to IISD reporting. The EU has committed to cutting net GHG emissions EU-wide by at least 55% by 2030 with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, while the UK pledged to reduce its GHG emissions at least 68% below 1990 levels by 2030.

    But are these efforts ambitious enough? The latest Emissions Gap Report (2020) called the current levels of ambition in countries’ NDCs “seriously inadequate” and would result in an at least 3 degrees Celsius rise in global temperatures above pre-industrial levels by 2100. It further cautioned that the 7% decline in CO2 emissions in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will “make no significant difference to long-term climate change”. Moreover, a recent empirical study by Liu & Raftery (2021) found not only that the probability of major polluters meeting their NDCs was low, but that for temperature increases to be less than 2 degrees Celsius, the average rate of decline in emissions would need to increase from the 1% to 1.8% per year.

    According to the US’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2020 was second only to 2016 as the world’s hottest year on record. Large chunks of the glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica continue to melt, threatening SIDS and coastal communities with increased sea level rise. While SIDS are most at threat from climate change’s adverse impacts, continental States can also be affected. In his speech on the signing of the Executive Order, President Biden referenced the record wildfires in the western US and more powerful hurricanes affecting the US gulf and east coasts. Over the past week, the US state of Texas experienced unbearably cold temperatures due to a severe winter storm, which caused both power and water outages and several deaths.

    There is also the other important issue of climate financing to assist developing countries, which often face capacity constraints and limited domestic finance options, in their mitigation and adaptation efforts. At COP15 developed countries committed to mobilise jointly USD 100 billion each year in climate finance by 2020, but financing has fallen short of the target. The US had pledged $3 billion to the fund under the Obama administration, but paid only $1 billion ($500 million in two batches) before he left office. President Trump ordered a stop to the remaining $2 billion pledged to the fund. John Kerry has, however, pledged that US will “make good” on its pledge to the Green Climate Fund.

    At the Climate Ambition Summit, several countries, including the UK, made additional climate finance pledges, but these are only useful once they are acted upon. Climate finance is especially important now that many fiscally constrained SIDS, such as those in the Caribbean, have seen dramatic revenue drops because of COVID-19’s impact on their tourism industry. This leaves these governments with limited funds to finance their mitigation and adaptation efforts. This is coupled with the ineligibility of some Caribbean countries, like the Bahamas, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago, for concessional financing due to their classification as upper middle income or high income economies solely on an income per capita basis.

    Redoubling efforts at making climate financing available for developing countries will also be critical for their achievement of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 target. Although SDG 13 speaks specifically to climate action, countries’ achievement of many of the other SDGs, for example, no poverty (SDG 1) and access to clean water (SDG 6), can be jeopardised by insufficient financing for climate action.

    Important step forward, giant leaps still needed

    In closing, the US’ rejoining of the Paris Agreement is an important step forward for the global climate fight, after taking several steps back under the previous administration. However, as ambition levels in countries’ current NDCs remain woefully inadequate for achieving the Paris Agreement’s objectives and avoiding the worst effects of climate change, all countries must make a giant leap forward to reduce their emissions. Developed countries should also redouble efforts to step up climate financing for developing countries, many of which are now even less financially able to fund their climate action due to the COVID-19 shock.

    Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B. is an international trade and development specialist. Follow her on Twitter at @Licylaw and read her commentaries on www.caribbeantradelaw.com.