British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces support for small island states at COP26.
The Prime Minister chaired an event with Indian Prime Minister Modi to launch the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS), a joint initiative with the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and Small Island Developing States ( SIDS).
They were joined by Prime Minister Holness of Jamaica, Prime Minister Bainimarama of Fiji, Prime Minister Jugnauth of Mauritius and Prime Minister Morrison of Australia.
Small island states are particularly at risk from climate change and rising sea levels. Two Pacific islands are at risk of disappearing by the end of this century, and some communities are already having to relocate.
The new IRIS fund will help small island states develop resilient and sustainable infrastructure that can withstand climate shocks, protecting lives and livelihoods. The UK will make an initial contribution of £10 million to the fund, which will provide targeted technical assistance.
The UK is also today announcing £40 million in overseas aid funding for the Small Island Developing State Capacity and Resilience (SIDAR) program which will support capacity building for small island states. to access financing and technical solutions at scale.
Addressing the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure event this morning, the Prime Minister said:
“For some countries and communities at this COP, the transformation that is happening now is not the business of our children and grandchildren. It is something that poses an existential threat as we sit in Glasgow today.
“Last year, 600 billion tonnes of ice melted in Greenland – all that water has to go somewhere. And it’s incredibly cruel that these vulnerable small island states are on the front lines of loss and damage from global warming. .
“As our friends have said, they did next to nothing to cause the problem. They did not cause huge volumes of Co2 to be pumped into the atmosphere. So I encourage all countries that have contributed to pump Co2 into the air over the past 250 years to join this campaign.
“That’s why the commitment of $100 billion a year is such a crucial part of the UK Presidency. We need to help people adapt, we need to mitigate, and we need to bend the curve and stop this ruthless increase Because around this room there are vulnerable populations who have done nothing to deserve it, who will be on the front line and will suffer catastrophic loss and damage.
“The Small Island States of Paris have managed to change the ambition and ensure that we are not only committed to increasing temperatures to 2°C, but to maintaining them at 1.5. Because they know what the difference between 2 C and 1.5 C means, and that’s the difference for many people between life and death, and that’s the reality we have to face.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-announces-support-for-small-island-states-at-cop26
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