InnovativeDespite the threat of Hurricane Melissa, Caribbean islands are using innovative debt-for-climate financing provesto small island nations can build resilience without crushing debt burdens. Some nations are converting debt into climate-safe investments and launching funds to build stronger infrastructure and cut reliance on external borrowing. Barbados just secured $125 million in savings through groundbreaking partnerships, creating a replicable model for climate adaptation across the Caribbean.
As Hurricane Melissa bears down on the Caribbean, island nations already reeling from climate-fueled disasters face crushing debt. They remain trapped in a devastating cycle where climate disasters pile on more debt while wealthy countries abandon their climate commitments. Hurricane Melissa exposes how $300 billion in mostly-loan pledges fallfalls drastically short of the $1 trillion dollars needed annually and how many small islands are forced into high-cost borrowing just to rebuild.
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