Ari Schaer, Grade 10, Staff Writer
In November 2022, the United Nations held its 27th annual Conference of the Parties convention (COP27) on climate change in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
At the conference, an important proposal was made. Poor nations that have been disproportionately impacted by the everlasting effects of climate change are set to receive funding from the rich countries that are primarily responsible for causing climate change.
This idea comes after years of poor nations being subjected to a constant cycle of debt and disaster as a result of climate change. The tiny island nation of Barbados, located in the Caribbean, is one country constantly afflicted by substantial natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, droughts, and landslides because of increased coastal erosion and rising sea levels.
Though Barbados receives loans from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other private sector entities to help rebuild, this provides minimal relief. The loans Barbados receives come with restrictions on how the money can be used and high interest rates, meaning that in order to repay them, Barbados must cut back on funding for necessities and programs such as education, healthcare, and law enforcement.
International interest rates for developed countries typically fall between 1 to 4 percent, but at 12 to 14 percent, this is markedly higher for the global south. Before Barbados can rebuild or pay back the loans, another disaster hits the country, creating a vicious cycle that puts it even further in debt. As a result, Barbados spends 55% of its gross domestic product each year to pay back debts while spending less than 5% on health care and preventive environmental programs.
Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, and Avinash Persaud, founder and chairman of Intelligence Capital, a company specializing in financial liquidity in investment projects, created a plan to solve this problem called the Bridgetown Initiative.
Though introduced initially at the 2021 COP26 summit in Glasgow, the initiative made tremendous progress at the 2022 conference. The Bridgetown Initiative’s goal is to expand the World Bank and IMF to more effectively remedy the problems of developing countries today, primarily the disastrous effects of climate change.
The Bridgetown Initiative aims to allow poor countries to suspend loan repayments if they are hit by a natural disaster or pandemic, so that governments can spend money on rebuilding their country instead of having to continue to divert funds to pay back their loans.
It would also create a Climate Mitigation Trust with $500 billion set aside for Special Drawing Rights: funds that can be drawn in a time of need. Many richer countries have pledged to support the Bridgetown Initiative, acknowledging that they, the main contributors to climate change, have a responsibility to the poorer countries who have suffered the most.
The program has garnered support from figures like Emanuel Macron, the president of France, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, and Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the IMF.
This is a huge win for small nations like Barbados. But the real question is will these big countries deliver on their promises, and if so, what comes next? Can this be the catalyst of significant global climate reforms? Time will tell, but the Bridgetown Initiative is a big first step in addressing the global effect of climate change.