As the region rebuilds after the devastating hurricanes over the past two years, Haiti’s President and incoming Caribbean Community (Caricom) Chairman Jovenel Moїse says it is doing so with the aim of creating the first “climate resilient” region in the world.
“The absolute necessity to create a climate smart Region is clear given the effects of climate change which have brought us droughts, mega hurricanes, heavy floods and unusual weather patterns, all of which adversely affect our development. The social and economic gains that we have made individually and collectively must be protected against the onslaught of nature,” Moїse states in his New Year’s Message, where he pointed out that the new year brings the prospect of seizing an opportunity out of a crisis.
Moїse noted that the Caricom Member States’ as well as the region’s non-member states’ production of greenhouse gases is practically nil, even though they bear a disproportionate share of the consequences.