St Lucia PM: Climate change could ‘annihilate’ Caribbean islands

The smaller Caribbean islands are suffering the effect of climate change in its people, infrastructure and development, according to the prime minister of St Lucia.

Allen Chastanet, speaking at the UN’s climate change conference COP23 in Germany, warned that without immediate action by global leaders the extreme effects already being seen will continue to devastate the region.

“We have experienced first-hand, what climate change looks like: Irma, Jose, Maria," Chastanet said.

"Not only have these storms decimated our countries and our economies, but they have also left our citizens and governments with a feeling of fear and helplessness," he explained.

The fact that the next hurricane season is only nine months away, he said, has the Caribbean feeling "that this process is far too slow for us.”

Chastanet said many small islands have been declared uninhabitable after most of their infrastructure was destroyed especially after hurricane Irma.

“What we have also realised is that time is against us. Climate change has the ability to annihilate my country overnight, as hurricanes are becoming more severe, causing an ever more devastating impact.”

“How many of the countries that continue to pollute the planet had to suffer a loss of 224% of their GDP this year?” asked Skerrit.

“We have been put on the front line by others. We were the guardians of nature. 60% of Dominica is covered by protected rain forests and has been so long before climate change,” he said.