Countries affected by the effects of climate change appealed for help

At the climate summit in Belem, Brazil, officials from countries most exposed to the effects of climate change appealed for support. They described natural disasters plaguing their countries, including floods, hurricanes, and rising sea levels.

Before the COP30 climate conference in Belem, in the Brazilian Amazon, which starts on Monday, state representatives discussed a new initiative to protect rainforests and sought an agreement on the unification of the global market for CO2 emission allowances.

During Friday's meetings, delegates from countries exposed to the effects of climate change were also heard, who described “life on the front line” of global warming and gave “fiery testimony” of the damage it is causing in the world, the AP reported.

Haitian diplomat Smith Augustin, whose country was recently hit by the devastating Hurricane Melissa, appealed to wealthy countries that have a larger share of global emissions to support them in preparing for further disasters.

– The hurricane and downpours devastated my country. Developing countries, especially small island states, are the least responsible for climate change, he noted.

AP emphasized that at the previous climate summit last year, developed countries announced the allocation of $300 billion to help poor countries cope with disasters, but this money has not yet been transferred.

Vice President Kenya Kithure Kindiki said rescuers in his country were still searching for many people missing in last week's floods. – The once-in-a-century cycle of extreme droughts and devastating floods is still killing us. Nowadays it has become common, he added.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs also described the situation in his country Marshall Islandsa small country on the Pacific Ocean, Kalani Kaneko. – We only need to look out the doors of our homes to see the effects of climate change. Now the sea is rising, the coral reef is dying and fish are moving from our coasts to cooler waters, he said.

The UN Environment Program (UNEP) warned that the world will not be able to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times, which was the goal declared in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Last year was the warmest since statistics have been kept, and according to scientists, rising temperatures lead to longer droughts, more tragic heatwaves and stronger storms, AP reported.

US President Donald Trump, who opposes actions to stop climate change, did not attend the summit. His administration is also not sending an official delegation to the COP30 conference.

The President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, did not appear in Belem, but these countries were represented by lower-level officials.

Tuvalu's Environment Minister Maina Vakufa Talia referred to Trump's absence in his speech.

“Mr. President, this is a shameful disregard for the rest of the world,” he said.

The COP30 conference in Belem will start on Monday and will end on November 21 as planned, although in the past the deliberations were extended many times when the countries could not reach an agreement on the final declarations. (PAP)

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