It’s no secret that small island developing states, or SIDS, are facing serious challenges: rising seas, drought, and unsustainable levels of debt. This week, heads of state and government and high-level representatives met in Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, at the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States to review our progress toward sustainable development and agree on an agenda for the next decade.
The gap to achieve key sustainable development goals is widening, which is inextricably linked to increasingly severe climate change impacts. According to the United Nations, the total public debt for small island developing states stands at approximately $82 billion.
From 1970 to 2020, small islands lost $153 billion due to weather, climate, and water-related hazards. To recover from climate change impacts, governments are forced to take loans at exorbitant rates, perpetuating a crippling debt cycle that pushes them further down the ladder of development.