Youths key to Basseterre’s global climate response

YOUTHS ARE THE CORNERSTONE of St Kitts and Nevis climate change and environment vision said Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister for Environment and Climate Action.

“We are happy that the youth are our equal partners in this climate resilience pathway with the establishment of the Ministry of Climate Action. Youth ambassadorial work is particularly important and the expectation is that the three individuals become our first youth focal point and youth ambassadors for climate action,” said Dr Clarke.

That young people will be the vanguard of Basseterre’s policy responses to the global climate crisis, Clarke pointed to action implemented and not rhetoric by the nascent Terrence Drew administration. She pointed to Cordiesere Walters, Sybastian Manners and Darionne Edmeade currently representing the twin-island Federation at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt,

Walters is a Youth Development Officer while Manners is a Physical Planning Officer. The duo are employees of the Nevis Island Administration. Edmeade, meanwhile, is an Environmental Educational Officer from St Kitts.
The three Youth Ambassadors have been tasked with daily reflections, social media reflections, posting, networking, and connections regionally and internationally for climate action,” Dr Clarke said explaining their importance to the strategic, national climate vision.
She said a major task of the youth sector is to deliver five youth-driven ‘actionable’ for the Ministry of Climate Action for 2023. This, she said, includes nature, food, water, climate adaptation and industry decarbonisation.

 Basseterre, with help from Taiwan, a primary partner in terms of bilateral relationships, increased the number of its participants currently attending the COP 27.

Collaboration between the two countries demonstrate their individual and collective readiness and willingness to partner on climate change for Small Island Development States (SIDS), minister Clarke explained.
 “We recognize that expanding the delegation, which is, the first time it has been done and at no cost to the government, was necessary because these negotiations and networking sessions require large delegations so that St Kitts and Nevis can benefit from the three-week conference. The technical team will be there ahead of the Ministry and will be working on a CARICOM agenda of Loss and Damage, financing the 1.5° threshold.”
 The 1.5° threshold refers to countries making a concerted climate action, via the Paris Agreement, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to ultimately reduce global warming.
Taiwan fully sponsored the participation of the youth delegation, while GirlsCARE Jamaica, a climate activist group, co-sponsored Cordiesere Walters.