World's island states blame richest countries for climate threats

New York: Extremely vulnerable to climate change, not rich enough to stop it on their own, and not poor enough to merit aid and development financing:...

New York: Extremely vulnerable to climate change, not rich enough to stop it on their own, and not poor enough to merit aid and development financing: the world's small island states on Monday blamed wealthy countries for their misfortune.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) "find themselves on the front line of a battle against a confluence of crises, none of which they have caused or created," said Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, which is hosting a SIDS conference this week.

The most pressing crisis is a worsening climate catastrophe as the world nears global warming of 1.5C, the upper threshold set in the Paris climate accord.

"The major contributors to climate change have failed to meet the obligations to mitigate its effects, causing significant harm to SIDS and our planet in general," Browne said.

Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan warned that "the climate crisis will destroy all of us," but that "the world is taking its time while we suffer."