When Hurricane Beryl hit the Caribbean this month, it caused utter devastation. At least ten people were killed, buildings shattered, thousands left homeless and many more left without food, water or electricity.
Now, faced with the escalating costs of rebuilding, Caribbean leaders are asking why countries that are the least responsible for the climate crisis are being forced further into debt to pay for it. They're calling on the UK government to push for debt cancellation for all indebted small island states on the front-line of the climate emergency. It’s a pivotal moment for us to stand with them.
friend, will you help make this too big for the government to ignore? If enough of us take to social media, together we can make sure that Foreign Secretary David Lammy hears the debt cancellation message loud and clear.
As small island states are battered by increasingly ferocious tropical storms, they’re being forced into a climate-debt trap. Caribbean countries like Grenada have some of the highest debt levels in the world. With little option but to borrow money to rebuild, they’re being forced to pay for the impact of a crisis they did not create.
As the Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell, explains:
“We are no longer prepared to accept that it is ok for us to constantly suffer significant loss and damage arising from climatic events and be expected to borrow and rebuild year after year while the countries that are responsible for creating the situation sit idly by with platitudes and tokenism.”
It’s time for the UK to act. Will you make sure the government hears the strength of feeling on debt cancellation by amplifying Caribbean leaders' calls on social media?
The earliest hurricane of this strength EVER to hit the Caribbean, Beryl is yet more proof that the climate emergency is already destroying lives. Countries like the UK have an historical responsibility for the emissions that are causing the climate emergency.
It’s time for the government to show it's prepared to support those being hit hardest by the climate crisis, so that people in the Caribbean can start to rebuild their lives.
In solidarity,
Wiz, Zak, Jerome and everyone at Debt Justice
If you want to read more about the impact of Hurricane Beryl, we recommend these articles:
