Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew has issued a stark warning that Caribbean nations must prepare to “save ourselves,” stressing that repeated pledges of international climate financing have consistently fallen short. Speaking during his Roundtable Press Conference earlier this week, Dr. Drew said the escalating impact of climate change — highlighted by Hurricane Melissa’s devastating strike on Jamaica — demonstrates the urgent need for regional self-reliance in resilience planning.
Dr. Drew expressed disappointment that the role of fossil fuels as a direct driver of climate change was not addressed forthrightly at the most recent COP30 meeting in Brazil, noting that this omission comes at a time when Caribbean nations are suffering the consequences most severely.
He cited the widespread destruction in Jamaica, where Hurricane Melissa caused damage billions of dollars of damage.
“Climate change is now causing Jamaica lives and over 8 billion US dollars in damages. The insurance Jamaica is going to get is a few hundred million. It is a drop in the bucket.”
The Prime Minister said these losses illustrate why Caribbean governments must invest heavily in resilience — from healthcare infrastructure and water security to energy, housing and food production.
“We contribute hardly anything to climate change, yet we suffer the most,” he said. “This is why we must prioritise water, energy, food security, healthcare and housing. These things should be our priority.”
Dr. Drew cautioned that relying on global pledges will not protect the region, noting that past climate-finance commitments — including those under the Paris Agreement — have consistently failed to materialise.
“There’s no way we can ensure that the money pledged will actually come,” he said. “Nobody is coming to save us. These pledges are often just pledges, and what you actually get is a drop in the bucket.”
He stressed that delays or inaction would leave Caribbean populations exposed to worsening storms, pointing to the two Category Five hurricanes that passed through the region this year — one being Melissa which devastated Jamaica before moving on to Cuba, Haiti and The Bahamas.
The Prime Minister said St. Kitts and Nevis is investing its own resources to strengthen resilience, including more than USD $50 million for new desalination capacity. He confirmed that the Shadwell desalination plant is now essentially complete and will be commissioned before the end of the year.
“We have surpassed the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold. Every hurricane season now carries an extremely high risk,” he said. “We have to save ourselves — that is the message.”
Dr. Drew reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to advancing renewable energy, modernising infrastructure and continuing to advocate for climate justice on the global stage, even as the region faces increasing delays in accessing climate-finance instruments.
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