By Zoila Palma: Caribbean Community (CARICOM) climate leaders, negotiators, regional institutions and youth representatives met in Miami, Florida, from October 12 to 14 to strengthen the region’s negotiating priorities ahead of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), scheduled for November 9 to 20, 2026, in Antalya, Türkiye.
The Second Meeting of CARICOM Negotiators and Ministers Preparatory to COP31 was convened by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), following the first preparatory meeting in Guyana in March 2026.
The discussions focused on aligning regional priorities and ensuring Caribbean countries present a unified position on global climate action, particularly as small island and low-lying coastal states face increasing climate-related threats.
CARICOM Assistant Secretary General Dr. Wendell Samuel stressed the urgency of maintaining ambitious climate commitments, emphasizing that the region must continue defending the global goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“For CARICOM, climate change remains the defining sustainable development challenge of our generation. Our people do not experience climate negotiations; they experience climate impacts,” Samuel said.
The CCCCC also highlighted findings from the United Nations Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap Report 2025, which warns that current global climate pledges could result in 2.3 to 2.5 degrees Celsius of warming this century.
CCCCC Executive Director Dr. Colin Young highlighted the importance of regional unity and a coordinated negotiating strategy, noting that the Caribbean’s influence comes from the strength of its shared position rather than the size of its emissions.
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