42 small nations are on verge of "Disappearance", says Patricia Scotland

Wolrd: Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland has warned the world of 42 small countries that are on the verge of "disappearance" and called on everyone to take tough action on climate change immediately.

In an interview she gave on Wednesday, October 13, she urged world leaders to think about this, keeping in mind the upcoming Glasgow Climate Change Conference which begins on October 31.

The AFP news agency stated that Baroness Scotland had recently visited Rome, where she had also met Pope Francis. There she gave the world an alarming warning about the dangerous consequences of climate change.

"The threat to 42 small states in the existential, people say that as if that doesn't mean what it says what it says - namely that these small states are going to disappear," she said. Adding to this claim, she declared that some of the Pacific Islands under the Commonwealth, such as Tuvalu, Nauru, etc. are currently in grave danger due to the unprecedented rise in sea level, which is causing people to seek refuge. Not only that, she also highlighted the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria on her home island, Dominica, in 2017. She said: “Dominica generally looks like a Garden of Eden. But after Hurricane Maria from 2017 even the bark of the trees had been stripped, there was not a single green leaf left. It was like Armageddon." In the end, she added that everyone is in the same "storm", but not the same “boat.” The poorest nations are suffering and it is time for the world to join hands and act now against the adverse effects of climate change.

The all-important UN climate change speech will be held in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12, attended by leaders from 197 countries. This conference, which is being held after a two-year hiatus, is called COP26.

The COP26 summit comes just months after the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report showed the world is warming faster than previously thought. With climate change keeping world leaders, environmentalists and scientists concerned, expectations are higher on the COP this year. With the accession of many Commonwealth countries, this development makes it all the more crucial for the world to focus. Baroness Scotland also stressed that humanity has "no choice" but to act now, before our future generations have to bear the repercussions.