St. Kitts and Nevis will be joining the rest of the International Community at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland from 31st October to 12th November. It was due to take place in Glasgow, Scotland in November last year with more than 200 world leaders due to attend, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, the conference was delayed until this year.

The St. Kitts and Nevis delegation will include Hon. Eric Evelyn, Minister of Environment and Cooperatives, Ms. Sharon Rattan, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Mr. Derionne Edmeade, Environmental Education Officer in the Ministry of Environment and Cooperatives.

The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. By committing to work together in this way we are laying the foundations for faster progress in the decade to come.

This year’s COP is considered to be the last chance to keep hopes alive of limiting warming to 1.5°C that will help to protect and restore ecosystems, build defences, warning systems and resilient infrastructure and agriculture to avoid loss of homes, livelihoods and even lives. To do this will require “all hands on deck”.

As a Small Island developing State, St. Kitts and Nevis hopes that the commitment of $100 billion dollars a year in climate finance to help poorer countries to further finance in the future is committed. Further, as a vulnerable country, we will join the voices of our colleagues to call for greater ambition that will support keeping global temperature increase “well below” 2C (3.6F) and to try to limit it to 1.5C.

This is its 26th annual meeting, where decisions are made by 197 countries to prevent “dangerous” human interference with the climate and it is the Delegation’s hope that at the end of summit, some resolutions can be made.