Prime Minister, Dr. the Right Honourable Keith Mitchell called for action on climate change adaptation as he addressed a meeting on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly.
Dr. Mitchell, who is a co-commissioner of the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA), said Caribbean countries are embarking on various initiatives to address climate change but there is a need to do more.
“We need action! Action that will reduce the cost of the impact of climate change! Action that will provide sustainable mechanisms to help people and communities cope. Action that will enable us to build the resilience required! Action that will enable us to reduce losses and strengthen our economic and social capital,” Dr. Mitchell told his international audience.
The Grenadian leader also cited a need for the international community to support the quest for improved resilience and adaptation. He said, “The actions needed to further the adaptation agenda need to be fully resourced. I therefore call on the international community to join in this effort and provide the financing required to climate-proof our vulnerable countries.”
The Prime Minister pledged Grenada’s commitment to continue being a partner in the work of the GCA and he commended the commission for helping to change the focus on climate change, from mitigation of greenhouses gases to adaptation and resilience.
Tuesday’s GCA event at the UN headquarters in New York, was the launch pad for a Year of Action, which is intended to advance the recommendations in the commission’s flagship report which was issued earlier this month. The Year of Action will also help accelerate adaptation around the world, improve human well-being and result in more sustainable economic development and security. The year will culminate with a Climate Adaptation Summit in the Netherlands in October 2020.
Dr. Mitchell has been one of the co-commissioners of the Global Commission onAdaptation since it was launched in October last year. The commission, according to its website, has a “mandate to manage the effects of climate change through technology, planning and investment”. The commission is led by former United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon along with Bill Gates and World Bank CEO, Kristalina Georgieva.
