Prime Minister Davis’s Remarks at the Opening of the IPCC Lead Author – Working Group II Meeting

Distinguished members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, esteemed scientists, colleagues, and friends —

Good morning, and welcome to The Bahamas.

It is both an honour and a profound responsibility for our nation to host this Lead Author Meeting for Working Group 2. 

We are pleased to welcome so many of the world’s leading experts on climate impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability, bringing with you not only your expertise, but your commitment to evidence, to rigour, and to human progress.

In The Bahamas, we say that the ocean connects us. And today, it connects us not only geographically, but intellectually and morally as we work together to confront one of the defining challenges of our time.

Ladies and gentlemen,

For us, climate change is not an abstract concept. 

It is not a distant risk to be modeled for a future generation. 

It is here. It is present. It is personal.

We are a low-lying archipelago of more than 700 islands and cays. Our natural beauty is our blessing, but it is also our vulnerability. 

Rising sea levels, intensifying storms, coastal erosion, coral reef degradation – these are not projections for us. 

They are realities we experience and respond to daily.

Hurricane Dorian in 2019 showed the world, in the starkest terms, what climate-fueled extreme weather can do to a small island nation. 

The recovery continues even now. And yet, we have not allowed vulnerability to define us.

Instead, it has strengthened our resolve.

Our approach to climate change is grounded in resilience, innovation, and partnership.

We are advancing a national strategy that prioritizes climate-resilient infrastructure, ensuring that our homes, schools, hospitals, and critical systems can withstand stronger storms and rising seas. 

We are investing in nature-based solutions, protecting our mangroves and seagrass beds, which serve as both natural buffers and powerful carbon sinks.

We are also moving decisively toward cleaner energy. Through targeted policy reforms and investment frameworks, we are reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels and expanding renewable energy across our islands. 

This is not only an environmental imperative, it is an economic one.

Moreover, The Bahamas has taken a leadership role in innovative financing mechanisms. 

From debt-for-nature swaps to climate resilience funds, we are working to unlock the capital needed for adaptation at scale. 

Because for small island states, adaptation is not optional. It is essential.

But let me be clear: while we are proud of what we are doing, we know that no country, especially no small island nation, can meet this challenge alone.

And this is why your work matters so deeply.

The IPCC represents the gold standard of scientific collaboration. Your assessments inform global policy, guide national decisions, and shape international negotiations. You translate complexity into clarity, and uncertainty into actionable insight.

Working Group II, in particular, plays a critical role. You examine how climate change affects ecosystems, economies, and societies. And importantly, you provide insights into how we adapt and how we respond to loss and damage.

Your work gives voice to vulnerability, but also to solutions.

For countries like The Bahamas, your findings are not just academic, they are foundational. They influence how we plan our cities, manage our coastlines, protect our people, and invest for the future.

Science must remain at the heart of climate action. It must guide us, challenge us, and, when necessary, compel us to act more boldly.

At a time when the world can sometimes feel divided, the IPCC stands as a powerful example of what cooperation can achieve. 

Hundreds of scientists, from diverse disciplines and regions, working together in pursuit of shared truth.

We commend you for that. And we thank you.

Allow me also to reflect on the importance of hosting this meeting here in The Bahamas.

This is the first time that The Bahamas, and the Caribbean region at large, has hosted an IPCC author meeting. 

By convening in a Small Island Developing State, you are grounding your work in lived experience. 

You are seeing firsthand the landscapes, communities, and ecosystems that are most directly affected by the issues you study. 

You are engaging with a country that sits at the frontlines of climate impact and increasingly, at the forefront of climate solutions.

We hope that your time here will not only be productive in terms of your report, but also meaningful in terms of perspective.

We hope that as you walk our shores, speak with our people, and observe our environment, you will carry these experiences into your deliberations, enriching your work with the urgency and reality that defines life in vulnerable regions.

And we hope that The Bahamas will stand as both a case study and a partner.

Distinguished guests,

History will judge our generation not by what we knew, but by what we did with what we knew.

The science is clear. The impacts are accelerating. The window for effective action is narrowing, but it has not yet closed.

Your work ensures that the world cannot claim ignorance. It equips leaders with the evidence needed to make informed, courageous decisions. It empowers communities with knowledge. And it reminds us all that while the challenge is global, the solutions must be local, inclusive, and grounded in reality.

As Prime Minister of The Bahamas, I reaffirm our commitment to working with the international community, to championing ambitious climate action, and to supporting the vital work of the IPCC. 

We are proud that Dr. Adelle Thomas, one of our very own Bahamian climate scientists, has been an author on past IPCC reports and now serves on the Bureau of Working Group 2. 

We are also proud of our private sector partnerships as the Climate Change Unit – in partnership with the Bahamas Aviation, Climate & Severe Weather Network – have worked with the IPCC secretariat  and the World Meteorological Organization to host this 5-day meeting of global climate scientists.

We stand with you – as partners in science, in resilience, and in hope.

So once again, welcome to The Bahamas.

May your discussions be insightful, your collaboration fruitful, and your time here both productive and inspiring.

Thank you, and I wish you a successful and impactful meeting.