Climate change threatens our sovereignty – PM Davis

NASSAU (CMC):

Prime Minister Phillip Davis says while the aspirations of The Bahamas remain unchanged, to stand as a free nation, bound by neither fear nor force, climate change is threatening the very sovereignty off the country.

“For us, climate change is no distant concern, no matter for future generations alone; it is the here and now, an ever-rising tide that threatens to wash away the home (former prime minister) Sir Lynden spoke of so fervently,” Davis said as he addressed the the 10th Annual Diplomatic Week.

Davis said that in the struggle for climate justice, The Bahamas stands as a voice for the vulnerable, a champion of those who, like Nassau, seek only to secure the lives and futures of its people.

“We fight for a world where those responsible for this crisis answer for the loss and damages felt by those who contributed least to its cause. Thus, we turn to the law, seeking justice from the very courts that stand as guardians of humanity’s conscience.”

Davis said that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is now poised to deliver an advisory opinion on climate change, a ruling that the country believes will echo across borders and demand accountability.

“This is not about treaties and pledges; it is about moral reckoning, an acknowledgement that those who have sown the seeds of destruction must also reap the responsibility to repair.

“For too long, our islands and countless others have borne the burden of “loss and damage” inflicted by climate change: land eroded, homes destroyed, livelihoods swept away in storms more violent, more frequent than any our ancestors could have foreseen.”

Davis said that the loss is not only material but spiritual and “a threat to our culture, our heritage, and our identity as a people of the sea.

“We seek not charity but justice, a clear and binding recognition that those who have profited from the destruction of our world must also contribute to its healing. And here lies the power and purpose of diplomacy

“In every hall of power, every forum, we carry the voices of our people and the stories of our shores. Diplomacy is our shield and our voice, a way to remind the world that we may be small, but our challenges are universal. ”

He told the diplomats that they are being called upon not only to advocate but to educate, to speak plainly of the impacts facing the country and to rally the world toward action.