Barbados Calls for Renewed Global Commitment to Climate Action

(MENAFN) Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley warned Wednesday that international efforts to address climate change remain insufficient, calling on governments to renew their commitment to keeping global temperature increases within the 1.5C (2.7F) threshold.

Speaking at the COP31 UN Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Türkiye, Mottley criticized the lack of progress toward meeting established climate objectives, cautioning that continued inaction would impose serious consequences on younger and future generations.

"Let me be plain: overshoot is not a new target. It is a debt, a debt of heat borrowed against our children's future, and it must be repaid," she said.

The Barbadian prime minister emphasized that even minor increases in global temperatures can have significant effects on ecosystems and human societies. She warned that further warming could endanger coral reefs, undermine agricultural production and threaten communities, livelihoods and food security.

To illustrate the growing scale of the crisis, Mottley referred to catastrophic flooding in Nepal that claimed more than 1,400 lives in August, alongside other climate-related emergencies affecting Jamaica, California and several European countries.

She also drew attention to the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, highlighting how flooding and ongoing humanitarian suffering have compounded the challenges facing children.

Describing the situation, she said the combined crises had created "a veritable hell on earth" for children, adding that "the climate does not negotiate with geopolitics."

Mottley concluded by urging the international community to increase financial assistance for climate-vulnerable nations, introduce debt-relief measures and accelerate investment in renewable energy and other cleaner power sources.

MENAFN12112026000045017640ID1111951044