Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

The Caribbean is “Ground Zero” of the Global Climate Emergency, Says UN Chief

July 4, 2022
Caribbean

Although Suriname is located in South America, it is considered a Caribbean nation due to its history, culture, and challenges similar to those faced by small island nations.

After flying over the Reserve, António Guterres arrived at the Assuria Events Center in Paramaribo, to attend the opening of the 43rd Conference of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Mr Guterres recognized that the small island low-lying coastal states of the Caribbean are especially vulnerable to what he called “the biggest challenge facing our world today” — the climate crisis.

“The Caribbean is ground zero for the global climate emergency,” he said, underlining that unfortunately, it is not the only challenge that the region is facing.

“This year’s CARICOM summit comes at a moment of maximum peril – for people and planet alike,” he added, referring to the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on health systems and tourism, as well as on economic growth and foreign investment, now exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

Since 2016, the UN has supported the country’s efforts to conserve, restore and rehabilitate mangroves. One such project, led by the Anton de Kom University of Suriname, involves the installation of mangrove restoration systems along the country’s coast.

António Guterres planted a young mangrove tree while walking along a garbage-polluted beach with Suriname’s foreign minister, Albert Ramchand Ramdin.