St. George’s: The Honourable Kerryne James, Minister for Climate Resilience, The Environment & Renewable Energy, leads Grenada’s delegation at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), COP 28 in Dubai, Expo City.

World leaders and climate change activists will convene in Dubai from November 30-December 12, 2023, to engage in discussions, collaborate on common issues and engage in global negotiations to heighten climate action.

Minister James and delegates will represent Grenada in several high-level ministerial dialogues, negotiations and bilateral meetings with key international organisations, exploring partnerships with pioneering countries, and showcasing ongoing and potential climate smart projects. This is to promote Grenada’s national transformation agenda which aligns with its Sustainable Development Plan 2035, to guide national development priorities, including ambitious responses to climate change.

The Grenada delegation attending COP 28 comprises a diverse and dynamic group, embodying the nation’s multifaceted approach to climate resilience and sustainable development. This contingent of 30 delegates (arriving at different intervals) represents a cross-section of key ministries, each bringing their unique expertise and perspective to the global climate dialogue.

The ministerial representation includes:

• Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy: Spearheading initiatives that bolster the nation’s ability to withstand and adapt to climate challenges.
• Health, Wellness, and Religious Affairs: Integrating health and wellness into the climate agenda, acknowledging the intersection of environmental and public health.
• Legal Affairs: Providing the legal framework essential for implementing and enforcing climate policies.
• Agriculture and Lands, Forestry, Marine Resources, and Cooperatives: Addressing the critical areas of Oceans, fisheries, agriculture, forestry, and marine conservation, all vital in the face of climate change

The Projects Team includes:

• Climate Resilient Water Sector in Grenada (G-CREWS) Project: A pioneering initiative aimed at ensuring water security and resilience in the face of climate variability.
• Grenada Geothermal Development Project: Exploring sustainable energy solutions, tapping into Grenada’s geothermal potential.
• Innovative Nature-Based Solutions to Enhance Community Resilience: Leveraging natural systems to build community resilience against climate impacts.
• Resilient Islands Projects: Focusing on protecting the island’s ecosystems and communities from climate-related risks.

These projects will be displayed at the CARICOM Pavilion and are expected to be well visited. Grenada’s implementation actions, included under these projects, are raising awareness, and promoting opportunities in addition to attracting resources, including funding, to support scale-up and/or replication.

Additionally, the delegation is enriched with the expertise of international advisors from Climate Analytics, various academic institutions, and the New York Mission, providing a global perspective and cutting-edge insights.

Highlighting the importance of youth involvement in climate action at the local level, the delegation also includes two distinguished youth representatives:

• Mr. Alex Simon: Student at the T.A. Marryshow Community College, the 2023, A.A. La Grenade Shield recipient and President of the TAMCC Environmental Awareness Movement (TEAM), majoring in Environmental Science; and
• Ms. Quianna Watson: Student at the St. George’s University, majoring in Marine, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and member of the Education Conservation Outreach Club.

COP 28 will focus on key areas:

• The Global stocktake
• Climate finance
• Stronger Commitments to meeting our climate targets.
• Commitment to tripling Renewable Energy by 2030.

Discussions on the Global Stocktake which is an assessment of progress made toward mitigating global warming since the Paris Agreement in 2015, is designed to ‘take stock’ of the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and to strengthen global solidarity, inspire the hope, optimism, and ingenuity required to transform our economies, safeguard our future, and limit global warming to 1.5°c.

Towards the vision of the COP28, which is to Unite the world and act together to deliver actionable solutions, Minister James urges that “we reiterate the call for reform of the international financial system, its structure, and processes to a fit-for-purpose construct to ensure efficient and rapid scaling up of public finance for SIDS.”

Among her High-Level engagements, Minister James is poised to represent Island perspectives as part of a distinguished, High-Level Panel on “Climate Finance Needs in Developing Countries”. She will also give the Opening Address and sit on a Ministerial Roundtable on “Enhancing Ambition and Co-operation on Nature for Climate Action”. She will also update the High-Level Segment on the “Second High Level SIDS Dialogue on Climate Change” held recently in Grenada where 11 Prime Ministers and Ministers from around the region convened to strategise in the lead up to COP28.

Every year the world is observing hotter and hotter temperatures, and 2023 was the hottest temperatures on record. This global trend has not only affected us in many ways in Grenada, but our Caribbean counterparts as well. At the Pre-COP Heads of Government meeting held in September, Prime Minister, the Honourable Dickon Mitchell urged Caribbean brothers and sisters to have ONE VOICE in the efforts to mitigate against the effects of climate change.

The catastrophic impacts of climate change are all around us and it is a constant reminder that we must do more. The world needs good news, and the global community demands real action.

From November 30 to December 12, the world will Unite, we will Act, and we will deliver. For more information on COP28 visit https://www.cop28.com/en/