22 November 2011: Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque has urged the United States to formally commit to the outcome of the 16th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 16) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which convened in December 2010, in Cancun, Mexico.

The remarks came during the ceremony at CARICOM Headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana, during which the new US Ambassador to the Community, D. Brent Hardt, presented his credentials. Hardt, when speaking on issues of common concern to the US and CARICOM, said the US recognized the “disproportionate impact” climate change has on small island nations and low-lying coastal regions such as those in the Caribbean, and stressed how the US is working with CARICOM countries and institutions under the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) to mitigate climate change, promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.

While commending US bilateral and regional efforts under programs such as ECPA, Secretary-General LaRocque stated that the best way to combat climate change was at the global level and within the UNFCCC. He said Caribbean countries urged the US to “commit to the outcome of the Cancun Climate Change Conference in order to advance the chances of mitigation and adaptation for our Small Island Developing and low-lying Coastal States faced the ravages of climate change.” [CARICOM Press Release]