Antigua PM blasts ’empty’ climate promises at UN small islands summit

NEW YORK – The president of this decade’s summit for Small Island Developing States on Monday blasted “empty” and “grossly inadequate” climate pledges, saying wealthy nations have failed to meet obligations to limit damages from carbon emissions.

Small island states across the Pacific, Atlantic and Caribbean, with negligible emissions, are particularly vulnerable to economic crises and rising temperatures due to their exposure to natural disasters, high debt and reliance on imports and tourism.

The Atlantic hurricane season, starting in June is expected to be more active than usual due to near-record warm Atlantic Ocean temperatures and cooler surface water in the Pacific.

“It is not sufficient for nations to simply make empty and grossly inadequate commitments under the Paris Agreement,” conference president and Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said, citing a 2015 treaty to limit emissions and prevent temperatures rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.