BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 11. As part of COP29 in Baku, Trend News Agency proudly presents COP for Hope, a special project offering an unparalleled platform to hear from world leaders and trailblazers in politics, economics, science, and ecology, all united by a shared commitment to addressing today’s pressing climate challenges.
Today, we spoke with Ruleta Camacho Thomas, Climate Ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda. She emphasized the urgent need for ambitious global leadership and substantial financial support for small island developing states.
As nations gather in Baku to tackle climate challenges, Thomas highlighted the severe impacts of climate change on small islands like Antigua and Barbuda and called for a recommitment from international leaders to assist vulnerable countries.
"Our expectations of what we would want to achieve is that we want to make sure that global leadership in climate change continues to be very ambitious and effective," she said. "Especially when it comes to the impacts on small island developing states, we're looking forward to that recommitment of the international leaders to helping us with moving out of the high-risk nature of our countries."
Addressing one of the most pressing issues for Antigua and Barbuda, the ambassador stressed the critical need for adaptation finance. "Financing adaptation is very, very critical for us," she explained. "As climate increases, we are facing more and more risk." She noted the alarming rise in water temperatures, which exceed 30 degrees Celsius at depths of 30 feet. This has led to widespread coral bleaching, threatening ecosystems that support Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism industry and impacting public health as extreme heat brings additional health risks to the population.
"We don’t even begin to talk about the human impact," Thomas noted, explaining that the high temperatures contribute to illnesses and further strain the country’s development. "Instead of focusing our development financing on just development, we now have to respond to climate change while we are trying to develop. It’s just a vicious cycle of debt and crises."
Thomas called for "grant-based instruments" instead of loans to address the financial burdens climate change imposes. "Loans will not help us. We need grant-based instruments to be able to take us out of the climate deficit that we’re in now," she insisted.
On the broader topic of global emissions reduction, Thomas pressed for genuine action and accountability from large emitters. "We want to see the actual implementation of their commitments and mitigation," she said, underscoring that without a reduction in fossil fuel use, small island nations will continue to suffer.
Thomas also expressed support for Azerbaijan’s role in hosting COP29, commending the country’s commitment to addressing climate change. "We are very proud of you for holding the COP," she remarked. "It shows that you are making an effort and that you are very conscious of the contributions that you are making to climate change."
Looking toward the future, the ambassador urged Azerbaijan and other nations to leverage innovation and technology to transition away from fossil fuels. "That is the goal," she concluded, adding, "It will need quite a lot of innovation and human ingenuity and quite a lot of technology to get there. But you have taken the right step. You are acknowledging that this is an issue, and we are very proud of you for that."