U.S. Government Committed to Addressing Climate Crisis

Kerri Hannan

Climate change and its impacts continue to be felt by small island developing states, such as Belize.  In the region, forest fires, coastal erosion and more intense storms are only some of the effects of this phenomenon. Access to climate finance continues to be a struggle and the loss and damage facility being established by the UNFCCC (UNF-triple C) is nowhere close to completion.  But at the beginning of this month, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris travelled to the Bahamas for a meeting with CARICOM Heads of State where she said that strengthening the U.S.-Caribbean relationship is a priority for her. In fact, during that official meeting, the U.S. V.P. announced that the United States government was going to invest more than one hundred million dollars in the Caribbean to crack down on weapons trafficking, to help with humanitarian efforts in Haiti, but also to support climate change initiatives. Today, during an exclusive one-on-one interview with Deputy Assistant Secretary Kerri Hannan, News Five asked about climate justice.

Kerri Hannan, Assistant Secretary, U.S. State Department

“I think there is a really interesting conversation happening now about the reality of how do we address climate change. , the science is there – it’s been there for thirty years or more – we’re seeing the impact of the increase in the temperature. But what’s really interesting is how are we going to address it and how are we going to do it in a way that brings economies along? Because it is not just stopping the production of greenhouse gases, as an example, but what’s the alternative. And so the United States, in this recent trip that Vice President Harris took to the Bahamas and had a chance to meet with all the leaders of the Caribbean nations, to talk about finance, climate finance, climate investment, energy alternatives and looking for ways that we all can benefit. We can’t just turn off the tap one place and not expect others to drink. So we are working together to make sure that we all have access to a clean environment and benefit from the opportunities that the green and blue economy provide, which are enormous. I think that our government is deeply committed and understands the climate crisis. I think we are working hard to partner across the region and the globe, through COP but other mechanisms. We are trying to take an approach that makes sense, so in the Caribbean it’s a lot about energy and infrastructure and climate – you know, the impact of climate [and] disaster relief. In some place else, it might be about energy transmission, you know, it depends. But it’s solutions and conversations that we are looking for and having in order to bring us all along.”