As a Caribbean Community, we join the rest of the world in rallying the cry to heal the planet with the recent celebrations of International Day for Biological Diversity (May 21), World Environment Day (June 5) and World Oceans Day (June 8).
Environment
The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods
Recognition of World Oceans Day coming on the heels of World Biodiversity and Environment days is an exclamation point for small island and low-lying coastal developing States. Our dependence on the natural environment for life and livelihoods is actualized in our coastal communities, industries and productive sectors.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque has made a call for fairness in international financing for Small Island Developing States (SIDs), noting that they have been experiencing a battering from climate impacts, not of their own making.
“We have had to face the sharp end of climate change impacts in conjunction with our other inherent vulnerabilities. It is, therefore, crucial that vulnerability be the main criterion in determining access to concessional financing, which we urgently need in our quest for resilience.”