PM Gaston Browne holds oil companies accountable for climate damage, demands compensation

Antigua and Barbuda: Prime Minister Gaston Browne criticized oil and gas giants for contributing to climate change and demanded compensation for the damage through a global carbon tax on their profits.

Addressing the United Nations Climate Conference on behalf of the 39-nation Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), PM Gaston Browne held these companies accountable for climate change and said that these producers of fossil fuels have benefited from huge profits at the cost of human civilization.

He added that these producers of fossil fuel have gained huge profits, but their profits have contributed to climate change and led to the situation of the planet burning. PM Gaston Browne termed them a major contributor to global warming as their greed of earning multi-billion-dollar profits has racked up the consumption and production of fossil fuels.

He further noted that the small island nations like Antigua and Barbuda and others in the Caribbean which have been facing the wrath of the natural calamities, have contributed nothing to the emissions of the fossil fuel.

Outlining proper data, PM Gaston Browne stated that the six fossil fuel companies alone have benefited from nearly US$71 billion in the first half of 2024. He added that the profit is more than enough money that is needed to recover the developing nations from the impact of the major climate damage.

At the conference, he clearly demanded a full stop to the subsidies for fossil fuel and cited that the money that is used for the subsidies could be given to fund adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage. He outlined that the money is enough for the small island developing states (SIDS) for their recovery and the collective action that is needed for the mitigation of the carbon footprints.

PM Gaston Browne also stressed the loss and damage due to climate change and added that this could not be seen through the divisive and controversial lens. The aspect could be seen as a form of climate justice as the small states have turned out to be victims in the entire situation who have just faced the wrath without even a 0.1% contribution.

He demanded further assessment to explore the responsibility of states for injuries that have been happened due to climate change and fuel emissions.

Notably, Antigua and Barbuda hosted the 4^th International Conference on the Small Island Development Stats this past week in order to take action against climate change and provide proper financial justice to the states which have no contribution to the entire situation.