“It’s Time To Move Past “Business As Usual””

Friends, colleagues, thank you for the opportunity to speak during Climate Week. 

As a leader of a nation on the frontlines of climate change, I’ve watched the tides rise higher each year, felt the storms grow stronger, witnessed firsthand the relentless advance of a warming world. 

But nothing could have prepared me for the news that shook us all: For the first time, global warming has exceeded 1.5°C across an entire year. Not for a day, not for a week, but for an entire year. 

Let those words sink in – because they mark a profound shift, a turning point in our planet’s story, and demands a fundamental reckoning with the way we move forward. 

This isn’t the time for platitudes. 

The 1.5°C reality dismantles the very notion that incremental change will be enough. The old playbooks, the familiar arguments – they no longer hold sway in a world where this threshold has been crossed. 

For too long, the global response has been defined by inertia, by a dangerous insistence on clinging to “business as usual.” But recently we have seen some progress, prompted by the voices of people like my citizens who are facing this crisis daily and the activism of concerned citizens around the world. 

A wave of change is sweeping the globe. More and more nations are recognizing the urgency of the crisis and setting ambitious targets to reduce emissions and transition to a cleaner, more sustainable future. 

The recent passing of the Inflation Reduction Act was the largest piece of climate legislation in US history. Multilateral development banks, acknowledging the critical role of finance in driving this transformation, have tripled their climate investments over the past decade. 

This momentum is undeniable, a testament to the growing global consensus that climate action is not just enlightened self-interest, but an economic and strategic necessity.

Global leaders have a choice; listen to their people or face being replaced by others who will. 

I am excited about all the developments and progress I have seen, specifically – advances in renewable energy technology, carbon capture, technology sharing, the development of drought-and-climate resilient crops, the use of AI in climate forecasting and risk assessments, and clean transportation solutions. 

The pace of change and innovation is extraordinary. 

For example in a single generation, the price of solar panels has fallen 99%! 

I understand that tackling climate change presents a unique challenge. It requires us to make decisions today that may not yield immediate benefits. 

This can be difficult for leaders who are often judged by immediate results, by quarterly profits, by election cycles. But this is precisely why we, as global leaders, need to reframe the narrative. We need to demonstrate that climate action is not about sacrifice. It is about opportunity. It is about creating new industries, new jobs, new pathways toward prosperity and security. It’s developing an evolved world where sustainability and economic growth go hand in hand.

With that, we must acknowledge that our current efforts are not enough. The reality is that climate crises do not stay inside a country’s borders. What happens in one nation impacts us all, particularly those of us in Small Island Developing States like mine. 

We need a global response that matches the scale of the crisis, one that recognizes our interconnectedness and embraces a shared responsibility for building on shared sustainability. 

It must be an international effort that transcends national interests and embraces the power of collective action. This is not the time for despair, but an opportunity to show up better for ourselves and for one another. 

The moment has arrived: where climate action can and will drive innovation, economic growth, and a more just and equitable world for all. 

This September marks five years since Hurricane Dorian, a category five hurricane made landfall on The Bahamas. In addition to the devastating loss of life and property Dorian brought, our national debt was increased significantly due to the fact the we have a continued cycle of borrowing to rebuild and recover.

What we need now is a radical shift in our thinking, a structural reset of our priorities, and the courage to pursue bold, transformative action at a scale never seen before. The time for complacency is over.

This must end now!

The 1.5°C threshold is not a line in the sand; it is a siren. It is a clarion call for a global awakening, a collective rejection of complacency, and for a new era of climate action defined by innovation, accelerated change and a firm commitment to justice.

For the leaders of the world, particularly in the countries that have contributed the most to this crisis, it is time to restructure the incentives for change. 

One powerful tool in this effort is climate litigation. By holding fossil fuel companies accountable for the true costs of their actions – the externalities they have long imposed on our planet and on our communities – we can shift the economic calculus of energy markets without burdening taxpayers with new taxes. This approach not only advances climate justice but also creates a more level playing field for clean energy solutions to compete and thrive. 

Let us make climate action a prerequisite for security partnerships. Nations seeking to participate in and benefit from security cooperation must demonstrate tangible commitments to creating resilience. Trade agreements must be tied to emissions targets. 

Imagine a world where our children inherit, not a planet in peril, but one brimming with possibility. Picture cities designed with nature in mind, powered by clean energy, and where innovation is driven by the quest for harmony between human progress and planetary health. Imagine a global economy built on the principles of stewardship, where the value of our natural resources is paramount and where the pursuit of profit is aligned with the preservation of our shared home. This is the course correction that history demands of us. 

Because here’s the truth: this challenge demands that we come together and act with conviction. It’s a chance to redefine our relationship with the natural world, to forge economies that are not just profitable, but also sustainable and just. We can embrace a new path, one where we harness our collective ingenuity – it does not have to be a distant aspiration, but the very foundation upon which we engineer a brighter future. 

This is precisely the path The Bahamas has chosen. We are bearing the brunt of a crisis we did not create. Yet, we refuse to be defined by vulnerability. Instead, we are harnessing our challenges as catalysts for innovation, for demonstrating that even the smallest nations can model a new way forward.

And the proof is in our actions. Some of the most ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the world come from countries like ours – developing nations, small island states, those who are already living with the daily realities of climate change.

Despite contributing less than 0.01% of global emissions, SIDS are stepping up with bold targets, focused on not just reducing our own minimal carbon footprint, but on building resilience, driving sustainable development, and creating a model for others to follow.

The Bahamas’ NDC, for example, sets a goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 30% and transitioning to 30% renewable energy by 2030 – a commitment we are pursuing with determined resolve.

These commitments are not just rhetoric; they are the base for concrete, measurable action taking place right now in The Bahamas:

• We are transitioning away from fossil fuel dependence, prioritizing energy efficiency upgrades across our nation, installing utility-scale solar farms in our capital, and bringing hybrid grids online in our Family Islands. This transition is not just about cleaner energy, it’s about creating green jobs, fostering local expertise, and producing a more resilient infrastructure for the future.
• We are pioneering Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), harnessing the natural power of our ocean to provide clean energy, desalinated water, and even cooling. This groundbreaking technology, actively being piloted across nine Bahamian islands, showcases the immense potential of nature-based solutions to address multiple facets of the climate crisis.
• We are aggressively protecting our vast seagrass meadows – one of the largest carbon sinks on the planet. We know how integral the carbon market is to climate mitigation, and we present The Bahamas as the leader for high-quality, verified carbon credits.  We are developing a blue carbon methodology to leverage their full potential and are establishing a coral gene bank to preserve these critical ecosystems for generations to come. 

These actions are not about showcasing The Bahamas as an exception, but rather as an example. A testament to the power of political will, innovation, and the enduring belief that a different future is possible if we lead and encourage others to join.

But for this new future to truly take hold, we need a global paradigm shift, one that embraces the urgency of this moment and translates ambition into tangible, coordinated action.

And nowhere is this more urgent than on the issue of Loss and Damage. For too long this critical issue has been sidelined, relegated to the margins of climate negotiations.  But for nations like mine, Loss and Damage is not an abstract concept, it’s a lived reality. 

It’s the shattered remnants of homes and businesses after a hurricane. The livelihoods washed away by rising seas, the cultural heritage lost forever as lands disappear beneath the waves. It’s the trauma inflicted on our people, the despair that sets in when you realize that the ground beneath your feet is literally disappearing. 

We cannot rebuild our lives with empty promises. We cannot adapt our way out of extinction. The time for half measures and vague pledges are over. 

We need a fully funded and operational Loss and Damage Fund to help vulnerable nations to rebuild and recover from climate disasters.

The world has agreed to a Loss and Damage Fund and has pledged a paltry $800M towards the fund. Our concern? Will these funds be mobilized, and how will access to the funds be further restricted to the countries which need it most?
 

Global Financial institutions and structures must change to address the needs of the SIDS, Least Developed Countries, and developing countries in general. 

For instance, the frequency and intensity of hurricanes in the Caribbean region have lead to repeated economic setbacks, slowing down development progress, and an attack on our ecosystems.

There are only five bird species endemic to The Bahamas – that means they are native and restricted to a certain place. For some, the  locale of their habitats is so definitive that they are limited to specific islands in The Bahamas. The Bahama Nuthatch, only found on the island of Grand Bahama, has not been seen since Hurricane Matthew in 2016. 

The Bahama Warbler, whose habitats extended to both the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco, has only been seen on Abaco since Hurricane Dorian. Climate change wipes out full species with a blink of an eye and we as world leaders need to do more to support our ecosystems. 

After Hurricane Matthew, The Bahamas faced significant recovery costs, which were compounded by Hurricane Dorian just three years later. 

This reoccurring pattern of destruction and recovery creates a perpetual state of vulnerability, making it difficult for the country to achieve sustained development and continues to pile on the country’s lending requirements and debt accumulation.  

We must fundamentally accelerate the reimagining of how the global community responds to the climate crisis.

We need global recognition that climate change is a human rights issue, demanding a coordinated and equitable response. 

Climate change is not just an environmental issue, it is not just about weather: it is a direct assault on the intrinsic rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – the right to life, to liberty, to security of person, to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being. These are not privileges, they are birthrights. This is not about charity, and it’s not about burden-sharing. 

This is about recognizing that we are all interconnected, that our fates are intertwined, and that our collective response to this crisis will determine the fate of generations to come.

The climate crisis demands our full attention now. Time is up.

It is a time of reckoning, yes, but it must also be a time of action. And this is where our greatest strength lies. 

As climate impacts become more undeniable, a powerful convergence emerges: the well-being of our people, the health of our economies, and the preservation of our planet become inseparable goals. 

Let us rise to this challenge, not with despair, but with the resolute determination to a future where our children can not only survive but thrive. 

We must demonstrate that what is good for the planet is, in fact, essential for our collective prosperity. 

The people of The Bahamas are resilient. We are hopeful. We believe in a better future, for ourselves and for all of humanity. But hope without action is empty.

The time for business as usual is over. The time for bold, transformative action is now. Let us seize it, together.

Thank you.