Extremely vulnerable to climate change, not rich enough to stop it on their own, and not poor enough to depend on aid and development financing: the world's small island countries are bracing for both fiscal and climate shocks.
High on the agenda for the 39 states, whose populations number roughly 65 million people: increasing climate financing, even as many criticize the slow pace of fulfilling previous UN aid pledges."The harsh truth is for these countries, climate change is already a reality," Achim Steiner, head of the UN Development Program , told AFP."Because of their smallness as economies... one extreme weather event can literally throw a country back 5-10 years in its development.
According to the UNDP, some $4.7-7.3 billion in financing is needed per year just for climate adaptation measures in SIDS countries.