[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 56 (Wednesday, April 9, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E563-E564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  PAYING THE PRICE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 9, 2008

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, the time has come to recognize the effects 
of climate change on the Caribbean community; I want to enter into the 
Record editorials from the New York CaribNews for March 4, 2008 and 
March 11, 2008, respectively, ``Paying the Price for Climate Change'' 
and ``Deal with Climate Change.''
  The Caribbean community countries (CARICOM), Small Island Developing 
States (SIDS) and other Least Developed Countries (LCD's) are 
experiencing the serious effect of climate change even though they 
contribute the least to the problem and have the least capacity to 
adapt to the new conditions created.
  CARICOM Member States are being forced to divert resources from 
important development initiatives such as health, food, education and 
critical infrastructure issues to adapt to the damages being caused by 
the climate change. Some of the major effects being experienced include 
sea-level rise, increasingly severe hurricanes, drought and water 
scarcity, coral bleaching and declining fish stocks.
  CARICOM is asking developed countries to take immediate action to 
help counteract the effects of climate change and to increase funding 
over and above traditional official development assistance. The United 
Nations has been requested to assist specifically with disaster 
preparedness.
  I encourage the International Community to mobilize to help the 
Caribbean protect its precious beautiful environment as a legacy for 
all mankind.

                        Deal With Climate Change


 Region Outlines Wishes to U.N.--How International Community Can Help 
                             CARICOM States

                             (By Tony Best)

       Citing their own high vulnerability CARICOM nations have 
     called on the international community to help them deal with 
     the costly impact of climate change.
       What the countries, which include Antigua, the Bahamas, 
     Barbados, Belize, Dominica Grenada, Haiti, Guyana, Jamaica. 
     St. Lucia, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Vincent, Suriname and 
     Trinidad and Tobago want the United Nations system to do is 
     to help them cope with disaster preparedness.
       This means high-priced insurance to aid in recovering 
     losses due to the fall-out from climate change while aiding 
     in risk management and climate monitoring, among other 
     things.
       CARICOM's shopping list of needs, will, was presented to 
     the U.N. General Assembly by Dr. Christopher Hackett, 
     Barbados' U.N. Ambassador, who in an address on behalf of the 
     entire region complained that although an ``unfortunate 
     reality'' was that Caribbean nations and other Small Island 
     Developing States, (SIDS), as well as the world's least 
     developed countries, (LDCs), contributed ``the least to the 
     problem'' they were ``confronted with the most serious 
     challenges'' associated with climate change.
       Just as important, Dr. Hackett told a special session in 
     New York that was devoted to the issue that the smaller and 
     poorer nations ``possess the least capacity to adapt'' and 
     meet the challenges.
       ``CARICOM member-states are highly vulnerable to climate 
     change impacts including sea-level rise, increasingly severe 
     hurricanes and other extreme weather events, such as drought 
     and water scarcity, coral bleaching, and declining fish 
     stocks;'' he explained.
       That is why Caribbean states wanted U.N. agencies, funds 
     and programs to ``ensure that their activities in the area of 
     climate change in our region are fully supportive of national 
     and regional efforts to address these specific challenges.''
       Specifically, they appealed to the U.N. to:
       * Assist CARICOM in ``incorporating climate change 
     adaptation concerns in national development plans and 
     strategies''
       * Provide technical and other forms of assistance to 
     CARICOM so they can ``strengthen'' the Caribbean Community 
     Climate Change Center and other ``cc-ordination mechanisms.''
       * Back plans designed to promote information sharing ``on 
     adaptation technologies, development and transfer between 
     exchange developing countries;' including the exchange of 
     ideas on ``best practices.''
       * Help CARICOM undertake the monitoring of climate while 
     expanding the ability to assess the region's vulnerability 
     and to carry out impact studies.
       * Give both ``technical and financial'' support in such 
     areas as disaster preparedness, early warning, risk 
     management, disaster mitigation and disaster recovery and 
     rehabilitation.
       * Develop new financial arrangements to support 
     ``adaptation measures'' while providing insurance coverage to 
     small island states so they ``recoup losses due to the 
     impacts of climate change and sea level rise.''
       As Dr. Hackett explained it, ``climate change of very 
     damaging proportions and which poses a very serious danger to 
     the very existence of our countries is already occurring and 
     the longer the international community postpones the 
     implementation of the necessary greenhouse gas emissions 
     cuts, the more adaptation will be required by SIDS and at 
     much greater costs.'' The region complained that the island-
     nations and coastal states in the region had ``been forced to 
     diver scarce resources'' from key development initiatives'' 
     such as health, education, food and the provision of critical 
     infrastructures to meet the demands of climate change 
     adaptation.
       ``Surely,'' he added, ``this has major implications for 
     achieving sustainable development goals.''

                  Paying the Price for Climate Change


          How Caribbean Nations Are Facing Serious Challenges

       It is an unfortunate reality that CARICOM countries and 
     other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as well as the 
     Least Developed Countries (LDCs), all of whom contribute the 
     least to the problem, are confronted with the most serious 
     challenges associated with climate change; yet we possess the 
     least capacity to adapt. Climate change of very damaging 
     proportions and which poses a very serious danger to the very 
     existence of our countries is already occurring and the 
     longer the international community postpones the 
     implementation of the necessary greenhouse gas emission cuts, 
     the more adaptation will be required by SIDS and at much 
     greater costs.
       Negotiations around the four themes agreed to at Bali--
     Mitigation, Adaptation, Finance and Technology--should not 
     prevent advancement of, or immediate action under any theme. 
     For CARICOM adaptation, finance and technology are not only 
     required in 2009 or post-2012, they are urgently needed now.
       CARICOM Member States have been forced to divert scarce 
     resources from key developmental initiatives (e.g. health, 
     education, food, provision of critical infrastructure etc) to 
     climate change adaptation activities. Surely this has major 
     implications for achieving sustainable development goals.
       The inadequacy of financing for adaptation activities in 
     developing countries is a major failing of the entire 
     international system. As stated in the 2007 UNDP Human 
     Development Report ``the current framework provides the 
     equivalent of an aid sponge for mopping up during a flood''. 
     That report estimates that new additional adaptation finance 
     of at least US$86 billion a year will be required by 2015 to 
     meet the most basic and pressing adaptation needs of 
     developing countries. Expressed in other terms this figure 
     represents a mere one tenth of what developed countries 
     currently mobilize for military expenditure.
       While increasing emphasis is being paid to private-public 
     partnerships the role of international cooperation remains 
     essential and must be enhanced. CARICOM urges developed 
     countries to take immediate action to significantly scale-up 
     the level of financing devoted to adaptation through the 
     provision

[[Page E564]]

     of new and additional resources, over and above traditional 
     official development assistance (ODA). This would serve as a 
     major confidence building measure and demonstration of good 
     faith, as we enter a period of great uncertainty.
       The General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and 
     other intergovernmental bodies of the UN System by the very 
     nature of their respective mandates are important for a 
     dialogue, awareness raising and the exchange of information 
     on issues of global concern. CARICOM believes that the 
     General Assembly and ECOSOC must continue to ensure that 
     addressing climate change remains a global priority, while 
     fully respecting and not duplicating the ongoing negotiating 
     process with the Convention. In this context, future actions 
     or initiatives by the GA or the ECOSOC should add value to 
     the ongoing negotiations, and be guided by the needs of 
     Member States, particularly those most vulnerable to the 
     adverse impacts of climate change. While we are convinced 
     that a parallel negotiating theatre should not be established 
     within the GA, we are equally convinced that the issue of 
     climate change should not be held in abeyance in New York 
     until our work is completed within the Convention.
       CARICOM has some concerns over the orientation of the SG's 
     report and in particular the rationale given for what he 
     terms ``a more inclusive and coherent approach to climate 
     change''. We believe that the first and overriding priority 
     of the U.N. System's work in climate change should be 
     addressing the needs of those most vulnerable and most 
     adversely impacted by climate change--SIDS, LDCs, countries 
     in Africa and disaster prone developing countries, rather 
     than, as the report states providing support for 
     negotiations. The effectiveness of the U.N. System should be 
     assessed by its capacity to deliver the required assistance 
     to, and build capacity in, these vulnerable countries and 
     other developing countries.
       CARICOM Member States are highly vulnerable to climate 
     change impacts including sea-level rise, increasingly severe 
     hurricanes and other extreme weather events, drought and 
     water scarcity, coral bleaching, and declining fish stocks. 
     In this regard we call on relevant U.N. agencies, funds and 
     programs to ensure that their activities in the area of 
     climate change in our region are fully supportive of national 
     and regional efforts to address these specific challenges. 
     This demand driven approach with strong national and regional 
     ownership must be embedded in the U.N.'s work at the national 
     and regional levels. Areas, sectors, projects and program 
     identified as priority in our national communications to the 
     Convention, national and regional adaptation plans and 
     sustainable development plans and strategies should receive 
     the full support of the relevant parts of the U.N. System.

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