Cyclone Chido struck the island of Mayotte in December, causing significant devastation to the 300,000 residents of the French colony off the East African coast. Although it remains unclear whether climate change is responsible for the event, the storm’s intensity and destruction are directly related.
Mayotte typifies what is happening to small island nations and the Global South. Low-lying nations are in the eye of the storm and are subject to coastal erosion and rising tides. Indeed, less developed countries pay global warming’s price even though they contribute just 1 percent to 3 percent of all carbon-dioxide emissions. By extension, the 20 wealthiest nations contribute at least 80 percent.
Officials must still tally the cost of Chido, which had winds reaching 124 mph and caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure. The 2024 U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, tried to address climate finance. After intense discussions, wealthier nations agreed to provide poorer countries $300 billion annually to help them prepare for and adapt to climate change, which falls short of the $1 trillion initially requested.
It is not a handout. The Global South comprises mainly rainforest nations. Forests store about 8 gigatons of carbon dioxide, while rainforests absorb 2 to 3 gigatons annually. According to the Global Carbon Project, fossil fuels and industrial processes emit 36 to 40 gigatons of carbon dioxide annually. Rainforests soak up those emissions — an asset for which countries should get paid.
Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan was disheartened. “We call on your unwavering shift to confront temperature rises in the small island developing states on the front lines. Ninety percent of our country’s infrastructure is low-lying and vulnerable. Seychelles diverts much-needed finance to climate protection instead of health and education.”
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatens to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. As such, he promises to reverse President Biden’s policies to advance the green energy economy.
It’s a short-sighted political tack that fails to recognize nearly all climate scientists agree that humans contribute to global warming. Even more, it’s politically stupid: The Inflation Reduction Act helped build 338 projects and support more than 600,000 jobs in 40 states, many of which voted for Trump.
Providing climate finance to small island and rainforest nations is a tough sell for developing countries with tight budgets and domestic problems. The issue has long confounded global climate talks.
Direct payments are one way to achieve this. Another approach is buying carbon credits. Governments that fail to meet their emissions targets can purchase credits from countries that have successfully met theirs, many of which are rainforest nations. While some may accuse wealthier countries of greenwashing, preserving trees benefits the environment more than using them for timber.
According to the Rainforest Foundation of Norway, deforestation rates are falling in Brazil, Colombia and Indonesia by 50 percent, 70 percent and 75 percent, respectively.
“We have reserved a large portion of our trees and rainforests,” said Leslie A Jn Baptiste, a legal and business management consultant for the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. “If we can do this as a small island, the richer countries can do the same while recognizing the island nations for doing this. We are here to assist you — but we also need you to support and encourage us.”
Climate change compounds hurricanes and cyclones because they feed on warmer oceans, providing the fuel each needs to cause massive destruction. And warmer air holds more moisture, which causes heavy rainfall and extensive coastal flooding. As we approach the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold, that will get worse.
In Mayotte, 77 percent of its people live below the French poverty line. “The tragic impacts of Cyclone Chido in Mayotte really show how vulnerable small islands are to climate change. A single storm can severely damage critical infrastructure like power, water supply and communications across an entire island, making international support essential,” said professor Liz Stephens at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.
The wealthiest countries can’t ignore the plight of small island nations, which bear the brunt of climate change. One way or another, that’s a cost we will all endure.
