Zachary Phillips, Crown Counsel at the Attorney General’s Office of Antigua and Barbuda and a prominent representative of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), took center stage at the COP30 session titled ‘The ICJ Has Ruled: States’ Obligation to Close the Climate Ambition Gap.’ The session convened global youth leaders, policy experts, and climate justice advocates to dissect the ramifications of the International Court of Justice’s recent advisory opinion on climate responsibilities. Phillips delivered a poignant narrative on the dire realities confronting Small Island Developing States (SIDS), spotlighting the escalating peril of intensifying hurricanes and climate-induced disasters. He illustrated that modern hurricanes often dwarf the combined size of several Caribbean islands, making evacuation unfeasible and endangering entire populations simultaneously. Phillips emphasized that these are not hypothetical scenarios but lived experiences for communities in the region. He highlighted the acute vulnerability of SIDS, where recovery from one catastrophe is frequently disrupted by the next, severely taxing national systems, infrastructure, and economies. Advocating for a paradigm shift in global climate finance, Phillips criticized the reliance on concessional loans, which exacerbate debt burdens for SIDS. Instead, he called for grant-based financing to bolster resilience-building, adaptation infrastructure, and long-term sustainability.
Zachary Phillips Highlights Urgent Climate Realities for Small Island States at COP30 Session
