The Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica addresses the general debate of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly of the UN.
Dominica holds dear the ideals of the United Nations;
Dominica stands in solidarity with all nations affected by recent Hurricanes and the earthquake in Mexico;
Thousands of storms now form to pound the Caribbean;
Only been two years since Tropical Storm Erika devastated Dominica;
To deny climate change is to procrastinate while the earth sinks;
We did not start the war on nature – the war has come to us;
While the big countries talk the small islands suffer;
The Caribbean does not produce greenhouse gases or contribute to global warming but we are the victims on the front line;
Our livelihoods are part of the eco-system, it is how we survive, but the reality is pure devastation;
We are shouldering the consequences of the actions of others;
We have buried loved ones and are likely to discover more fatalities;
We are declaring a national humanitarian emergency;
72,000 Dominicans lie on the front line in a war they did not choose with extensive casualties in a war they did not start;
We needs all of humanity to come together to save our planet;
A new paradigm of green economic development is needed
