United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned The Bahamas about the effects of the global climate crisis and the billions of dollars in repairs left by Hurricane Dorian.

Speaking at a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister last Friday, Guterres added that “science is telling us that this is the start” and “without urgent action, climate disruption is only going to get worse”. 

He asked all leaders to come with plans not speeches at the Climate Change Summit in New York next week.

“These new large scale climate disasters demand a new multilateral response.  Climate financing is one element.   We must reach a target of $1 billion per year from public and private sources for mitigation and adaption in the developing world, as rich countries have been promising for nearly a decade and we must improve access to development financing,” Guterres explained.

“This climate emergency packs a triple punch.  First, the impact is in countries with the lowest greenhouse emissions – The Bahamas is a very good example of that.” 

“Second, it is the poorest and most vulnerable people in those countries who suffer most and again, the same has happened to those communities here in The Bahamas.”

As for the threat of more disastrous hurricanes, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis said he will focus on strengthening the building codes, particularly in the shantytowns.

“We know that those individuals are in danger of being affected by the elements of the storm, so those are the areas that we must aggressively pursue and correct”, Dr. Minnis said.

“It’s essential for individuals to know that they must live in proper accommodation and we will continue to build resilience and improve continuously because the strength of the hurricane  was Category 5, who knows what’s next.”

On Saturday, the Secretary-General assessed Hurricane Dorian’s damages in Marsh Harbour, Abaco.