Antigua and Barbuda has aligned with its CARICOM counterparts in adopting a robust declaration demanding heightened global ambition and climate justice as the world approaches the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement and the pivotal COP30 summit in Brazil. The CARICOM Declaration, ratified on October 16, 2025, underscores the Caribbean’s collective stance that restricting global warming to 1.5°C is both a scientific necessity and a legal obligation. Leaders emphasized that small island developing states (SIDS), including Antigua and Barbuda, are disproportionately affected by escalating hurricanes, rising sea levels, and ocean warming, despite their minimal role in global emissions. The declaration spotlights the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (ABAS) as a critical framework for addressing the unique challenges faced by island nations. It calls on major emitters to realign their 2035 targets with the 1.5°C pathway and intensify current climate actions, asserting that “the time for implementation is now.” CARICOM leaders also advocated for equitable access to climate finance, proposing a new global goal of at least US$1.3 trillion annually. They insisted that such funding should be delivered through grants and highly concessional terms, prioritizing SIDS for 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. Additionally, it endorsed reforms to the international financial system, including the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and debt-for-climate swaps, to better reflect the vulnerabilities of developing nations. CARICOM reiterated that support for these nations is a matter of “justice and legal obligation, not charity,” and urged COP30 in Belém, Brazil, to mark a decisive shift “from pledges to performance.” Antigua and Barbuda, having hosted the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States earlier this year, continues to spearhead global climate diplomacy, championing the rights and survival of vulnerable nations.
Antigua Joins CARICOM in Call for Urgent Climate Action Ahead of COP30
