Mottley urges action as climate pledges decline

Prime Minister Mia Mottley (Photo by UK Guardian) “Pledges are not payments,” Prime Minister Mia Mottley declared on Wednesday, arguing that the world’s climate commitments are increasingly falling short of what vulnerable countries need and urging citizens everywhere to pressure governments to turn promises into action. Addressing the Antalya Leaders’ Summit at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, Mottley said climate finance remains one of the biggest obstacles facing countries already grappling with the effects of a warming planet. Prime Minister Mia Mottley (Photo by UK Guardian) “Even the promised pledges are now 70 per cent below previous levels. So the applause in this room, let us be clear, has never rebuilt a single home in any country.” The two-day summit brought together heads of government and other leaders under the theme, “Towards a Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Future”. To illustrate the consequences of inadequate climate financing, Mottley pointed to Nepal, where devastating floods in August killed more than 1 400 people and left thousands missing. She criticised the level of support provided through the United Nations’ loss and damage fund, noting that Nepal had received only US$20 million despite the scale of the disaster. You Might Be Interested In “A fund without money is a monument, not a mechanism. Ask the people of Nepal, who have received a paltry $20 million from the loss and damage fund. That certainly was not what we promised when we created that fund.” Mottley then shifted her focus from governments to citizens, arguing that public engagement would be critical to preserving the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The appeal was made on behalf of the V20, a coalition of climate-vulnerable countries that advocates for greater access to climate finance and reforms to the global financial system. “On behalf of the V20 countries of the world, I call for a global movement. 1.5 billion voices for 1.5 degrees. We need to do this before we meet at COP32 next year.” For Small Island Developing States such as Barbados, the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal has been summed up in the phrase “1.5 to stay alive”, reflecting the view that exceeding that threshold would threaten lives, livelihoods and vulnerable communities. The Prime Minister encouraged people to scrutinise the actions of governments, financial institutions and investors. “Ask your parliament where it stands. Ask your pension funds where your money goes. Make 1.5 impossible to ignore on the planet Earth. From ordinary citizens, to artists, to sportsmen, to bankers, to government.” Mottley also reflected on a warning she issued at COP26 in Glasgow five years ago, saying the global response since then had fallen short of what was required. “Five years ago in Glasgow, I said that 1.5 is what we need to survive. And I asked the world to try harder. The evidence is now in. We did not try hard enough.” She warned that even seemingly small increases in global temperatures carry profound implications for vulnerable nations and ecosystems. “A tenth of a degree, my friends, is a coral reef. It’s a harvest. It’s a village. And lives and livelihoods will be affected.” Mottley challenged world leaders to match their understanding of the climate crisis with decisive action. “Let us leave Antalya not to be the generation that described this crisis with extraordinary precision and then failed to meet it with extraordinary courage,” she added. (CW)