Voters going to the polls around the world must consciously hold their governments and leaders in the private sector accountable for climate change and the phasing out of fossil fuels which have led to the regularity of extreme weather.
Speaking at the Global Citizen Now summit in New York on Wednesday, Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said the mismanagement of the planet created the biggest “existential threat” facing humanity.
“We must recognise that every country on the planet is practically suffering from these climate events. In fact we are literally destroying the earth. The issue of climate is the most significant existential threat facing humanity,” he said.
Collaboration with all stakeholders in government and the private sector was necessary to fight this, said Browne, recalling how in 2017 Barbuda was decimated by Hurricane Irma.
“It was a mangled wreck. We wondered what to do and whether the island will be habitable in the future. It was actually deemed inhabitable at the time — to the extent that we had to vacate all the residents of Barbuda to our sister island Antigua.
“It was certainly one of the most powerful storms we have seen and in fact since then we have seen more storms that are ferocious, that are impacting [lives], that are more frequent and as a consequence, small islands are suffering and their civilisation is now imperilled — but this is not limited to small island states.”
In South Africa, extreme weather events have unleashed havoc, especially in KwaZulu-Natal where five people, including a doctor at Port Shepstone, recently died. The floods destroyed property running into tens of millions of rand. This also comes as the province was still struggling to house people rendered homeless by the 2022 floods declared a national disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Browne said the preservation of the planet required commitment from everyone, adding that large polluters should not be allowed to continue to put profits ahead of the planet’s survival.
“Voters need to hold leaders accountable because ultimately they’re the ones who can demand accountability.
“Many leaders are obviously captured by certain organisations, especially fossil fuel companies [and] lobbyists. They need to understand their responsibility for humanity and to preserve and protect the planet and ultimately it is the people, the voters, who must keep them responsible ... to phase out the use of fossil fuels. And to not be going to COP after COP after COP every year making these pledges while there is no real commitment to achieving reductions. They have been gaming the system.”
Other than holding them accountable through the ballot, Browne said small islands and developing nations must consider legal options against large polluters. He said they have asked for legal advice on whether large polluters are not, in any way, violating international treaties. This was necessary to ensure there were no further displacements of poor, vulnerable individuals.
Hugh Evans, founder and CEO of Global Citizen, said it was crucial to foreground the issues of climate change and extreme poverty with a view to finding solutions now. The reforestation of the Amazon and renewed focus on Africa were urgent, he said.
TimesLIVE
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