Africa-Press – Cape verde. Cape Verde wants countries to meet the climate targets they have set, with funding for the most vulnerable, such as the island nation, responsible for only 0.0017% of global emissions, the Minister of the Environment told Lusa.
“Cape Verde, as a small developing island state, would like to see the objectives and targets set properly met,” Alexandre Monteiro, who participated in the leaders’ summit preceding the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which began on the 6th in the Brazilian Amazon city of Belém, told Lusa.
The head of Cape Verde, an archipelago of ten islands in the Atlantic Ocean, stressed that the country is “quite exposed to the effects of climate change”.
“As such, we would like the proposed measures to be implemented quickly so that we can also suffer fewer impacts,” he stressed, referring to the $300 billion annually (approximately $259.6 billion) in public support promised by developed countries to developing countries.
“We emit 0.0017% of emissions,” indicated the Minister of Agriculture and Environment of Cape Verde, reinforcing that the country wants “access to the necessary resources because small island developing states need much more.”
“They have a larger gap between their implementation capacities and what they actually emit and the needs themselves,” he emphasized.
During last week, at the leaders’ summit, several island states demanded climate justice and that during COP30, which begins this Monday and runs at least until November 21, developed countries assume their commitments.
These island nations are, on the one hand, the least polluting, but on the other hand, the ones that suffer the most from the impacts of the climate emergency, through extreme weather events and food insecurity.
“It is evident that the most industrialized countries, which emit more but are also richer, owe much more,” argued Alexandre Monteiro.
Another voice that spoke out and demanded that developed countries commit in the coming weeks was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of São Tomé and Príncipe, Ilza Maria dos Santos, who stressed that “vulnerability can be transformed into strength” if cooperation, investment, and respect for territorial rights are guaranteed.
“We are not asking for charity, we are asking for a just and supportive alliance,” she declared.
Representatives from approximately 170 countries are participating in COP30 starting this Monday, marking the first time the climate conference has taken place in the largest tropical rainforest on the planet, a vital ecosystem for regulating global temperature, but also one of the most threatened by deforestation and illegal mining. Negotiations will continue until November 21st, with the possibility of extending for a few more days, in Belém, whose preparation for this COP30 was marked by serious logistical problems and exorbitant hotel prices, which limited the infrastructure of the delegations present.
For More News And Analysis About Cape verde Follow Africa-Press
