Marrero Cruz: Adapting to climate change is a matter of survival

“We endorse the decision to spare no effort in the fight against climate change and for the development of our countries; as well as the will to support all Caribbean nations in this matter, and in whatever other matter is required.”

This was stated on Tuesday by Politburo Member and Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, speaking at the High Level Dialogue of the first regional meeting of Heads of Government for the Caribbean.a date that will run until the following 18th day and will serve as preparation for the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27).

From the Nassau Convention Center, where the event is being held, Marrero Cruz repeated, “The conviction that a better world can exist if all developing countries, by their own determination and by their own standards, come forward in solving our problems.”

In his speech, he thanked the statements of support issued by the CARICOM and several countries in the region, in the face of the large-scale fire at the Matanzas supertanker base, and highlighted above all the solidarity of Venezuela and Mexico.

Marrero Cruz emphasized that the current climate crisis “requires more ambitious commitments from all nations, first of all, from developed nations. It is necessary to put an end to the irrationality of capitalism’s modes of production and consumption.”

Regarding Cuba, he reported In September 2020, it provided an update to the Nationally Determined Contribution, with higher commitments up to 2030, including an increase of up to 24% in electricity generation from the use of renewable energies, and an increase in forest cover by 33%.

“Despite the serious limitations caused by the embargo, which has been intensified to extreme levels, Cuba has made progress,” the head of government admitted, although the achievement of these and other more ambitious goals also depends on the availability of resources to support the state. efforts.

In this context, he said, we have begun to explore the potential of the carbon market, noting that this is an issue in which we must strengthen regional capabilities.

Subsequently, in a second intervention, focusing in particular on issues of adaptation to climate change, the Prime Minister emphasized that this is a priority, and a matter of survival, particularly for SIDS.

He explained to the audience the peculiarities of life’s mission, the Cuban state’s plan to confront climate change, and insisted on the need to move forward with concrete measures, “because what we do not do today we can regret tomorrow, as we talk about the future.”

The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Philip Davis, had already called during the opening ceremony for integration and the search for common positions among all the countries of the Caribbean. He said development “requires collective action. With us, we are stronger.”

Cuba, the island of solidarity

In the course of the regional meeting, the head of the Cuban government held fraternal meetings with the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit; Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Motley; As well as with Head of Education in the Bahamas, Glenys Hannah Martin.

Solidarity, condemnation of the blockade, gratitude for each offer of support in the face of the Matanzas incident, the extent of our unification in the Caribbean and the enduring legacy of the Commander in Chief were discussed in each of the exchanges.

Roosevelt Skerritt, who is also Minister of Finance, Resilience, Economic Affairs and Other Portfolios, reiterated his country’s “unwavering commitment” to Cuba: “We are friends and we are at your service in whatever aspect we can contribute.”

For his part, Mariro Cruz expressed his readiness to continue consolidating bilateral relations and expanding the signed agreements in the field of cooperation. He emphasized that we have to be more united now than ever, complementing and supporting each other.

If we have learned anything, as the Cuban Prime Minister put it, it is that “against the intransigence and resistance of a people there are no capable weapons. And when this is ascertained, one is convinced that victory is possible.”

We cannot give up, as Roosevelt Skerrit agreed, knowing that the fate of a country can be decided only by the majority of its children.

Towards the end of the first day, Marrero Cruz spoke with the recently arrived Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Motley, who considered it to be the start of her agenda.

In the year commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Motley highlighted cooperation, brotherhood and high political dialogue, and expressed his interest in strengthening relations in all areas that can contribute to improving economies. Cuba and Barbados.

“I believe in deep friendship,” the Prime Minister emphasized, while highlighting the work of Cuban doctors in the fight against COVID-19, and how much they have helped their people.

Another touching meeting was with the Minister of Education of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Glenys Hanna-Martin, whose words have always been on the path to recognition and admiration for Cuba.

He inquired about the structure of the education system of the Greater Antilles, praised the work of collaborators on Bahamian soil, and focused in particular on the role of Cuban women in the country’s transformations.

The Prime Minister replied that in the Caribbean there had always been a common denominator: support and respect for Cuba. He added that history has shown what we can do together, especially in terms of cooperation.

There was also an exchange about education and the challenges facing the sector, and there was consensus on the need to defend everything that defines us and defines us as a nation.

The state, summed up by the head of government, should think about teaching its history and culture, because the great powers want the citizens to forget their roots and this is what must be preserved.

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