Antigua and Barbuda PM Tells UN: Take Polluters to Court if Diplomacy Fails
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne told world leaders this week that small island nations will not hesitate to use the courts to hold major polluters accountable for climate destruction if diplomacy does not deliver results.
Speaking at the United Nations Climate Summit, Browne said attribution science — research that directly links extreme weather to fossil fuel emissions — now provides the evidence needed to press legal cases. “If diplomacy fails, then we should use the courts to hold these large polluters accountable,” he declared.
Browne, who has become one of the Caribbean’s most outspoken advocates for climate justice, framed the issue as a matter of survival. He argued that the 1.5 degree Celsius limit enshrined in the Paris Agreement is not negotiable for small island developing states (SIDS), which face stronger storms, higher seas, and escalating loss and damage.
“For over a century, the fossil fuel economy concentrated wealth and power in a few nations and industries,” Browne said. “Those who profited most should now shoulder the cost of rapid, orderly, and fair transition.”
He endorsed the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, which calls for a rules-based phase-out of coal, oil, and gas, backed by finance and technology transfers. At the same time, he criticized the global financial system as “unfit for purpose,” citing estimates that adaptation could cost up to $387 billion annually while current climate finance remains grossly inadequate.
Antigua and Barbuda has charted its own path with a National Adaptation Plan and plans to update its climate targets this year. But Browne said national efforts alone cannot shield vulnerable nations. He urged the international community to adopt the “polluter pays” principle, expand concessional financing, and provide access to affordable renewable technologies.
“Let us treat the 1.5 degree limit as a lifeline, not as a line in the sand,” he said. “And let us act—not tomorrow, but today—so that the smallest and most vulnerable nations among us are not left to face the greatest storms alone.”
