by Amy Goodman
July 3, 2024
Introduction:
Read more here: https://www.democracynow.org/2024/7/3/ ... onsalves(Democracy Now!) As the earliest Category 5 storm ever observed in the Atlantic carves a path of destruction through the Caribbean, we get an update on damage from Hurricane Beryl from the prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, where the storm hit Tuesday. He describes the disaster scenes he witnessed and discusses the rising challenge of extreme weather fueled by the climate crisis. “The developed countries, the major emitters, are not taking this matter seriously,” says Gonsalves. He says the world must dramatically reduce emissions and that the current political and economic system is “driving all of us towards, if not extinction, to a terrible, inhospitable place called Earth.”
AMY GOODMAN: Residents of Jamaica are bracing for life-threatening winds and storm surge as Hurricane Beryl is likely to make landfall this afternoon. The now-Category 4 storm has left a trail of devastation across the Caribbean, killing at least six people, wiping away large swaths of the island of Carriacou in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where most homes on Union Island have been completely destroyed. Jamaica and the Cayman Islands remain under a hurricane warning.
Ahead of the storm’s arrival, the Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness called for stronger climate action from wealthier nations.
B[]PRIME MINISTER ANDREW HOLNESS: [/b] Hurricane Beryl is the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record. It highlights the growing impact of climate change on global weather patterns, particularly on small island developing states like Jamaica. While our carbon emissions are minuscule, our region bears the brunt of the impacts of climate change. The hurricane further highlights the urgent need for global climate action and targeted support to enhance resilience against the escalating dangers of climate change.
