 Climate change is real and Sustainable Development Goal 13 calls for taking urgent action to combat this environmental crisis and its devastating impacts. Equally concerning is that not everyone in St Lucia and the wider world is on the same page in this climate conversation and actions taken at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Let's clear up some myths and misconceptions about climate change, particularly in the St Lucia context. Myth number one. St Lucia is wasting its time trying to fix climate change. Neither land or population size of island nations like St Lucia reflect their significance as environmental stewards. Climate change means that alarming shifts in temperatures and weather patterns over a long period are being registered on this planet because of human activity, especially fossil fuel burning for generating electricity, powering vehicles and industrial processes. Compared to larger nations, St Lucia and other small island developing states or seeds emit negligible levels of greenhouse gases, but we are certainly paying the greatest price, suffering the effects of resultant climate change. We are experiencing temperature and sea level rise and increasingly more severe storms and other weather phenomena. Consequently, we are losing our homes, roots and other infrastructure. Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk. This puts us on the frontline of climate change. This is why St Lucia and other small island developing states must have an allied presence in international diplomatic spaces like the annual conference of the parties otherwise known as COP. This is critical in international climate negotiations where every single decision is made by consensus. As seeds, we have been able to amplify our voices by working collaboratively and taking on unified positions. St Lucia is part of a 39-country coalition called AOSIS, Alliance of Small Island States from the Caribbean, Pacific, African, Indian and South China Sea. Individually, our political leverage is limited, but we have proven that there is strength in numbers to successfully negotiate for bold and ambitious measures to address the climate crisis and challenge larger nations to do more with the scale and urgency required. But first, we need to show up and be counted. Myth number two, climate change is not an important issue for St Lucia. Is this true? Since the negotiations that led to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change begun, one group has been particularly active and vocal, the small island developing states, including St Lucia. This is because we are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, which will reach crisis levels if no appropriate action is taken. One study predicts that the cost of inaction to climate change for St Lucia is at least 12.1% of the country's gross domestic product by 2025, rising to 24.5% by 2050 and 49.1% by 2100. Temperature and sea level rise and increasingly severe storms are threats that are already having far-reaching and cross-cutting negative impacts on our way of life. In particular, excessive rainfall and flooding and blustering winds from these stronger weather systems are causing loss of life and undermining our homes, schools, health facilities, roads and other important infrastructure, compromising our economy with every passage. An increase in mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and chicken gunia is a climate change-related threat as the change in the environment is accommodating to longer breeding seasons and increased hatch rates of mosquito populations. Climate change projections can even disrupt St Lucia's food availability and quality as changes in rain patterns, temperatures and weather events may result in reduced agricultural productivity. Tourism, St Lucia's primary economic driver generating income, employment, investment and exports is climate dependent. We risk reduced tourism demand if our piece of paradise becomes unappealing by the negative effects of climate change. Myth 3, small island development states such as St Lucia don't benefit from participating in international climate conferences such as COMP. The value of regional and international climate change treaties such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement and their associated negotiation processes cannot be overstated. Through the negotiation process, St Lucia benefits significantly from international climate funds such as the Global Environment Facility GCF, the Adaptation Fund AF and the Green Climate Fund GCF among others. These support entities have enabled St Lucia to undertake several different activities or projects designed to help the country address the adverse effects of climate change while meeting its reporting obligations, building capacity and raising awareness on different aspects of climate change. St Lucia is currently the beneficiary of an almost 10 million US dollar project from the Adaptation Fund that seeks to build resilience of the agricultural sector to climate change, supporting farmers and livelihoods and contributing to food security. For more information on Climate Change and the UN Climate Change Conference, please follow our Facebook page, Department of Sustainable Development St Lucia, to get updates on the COMP 27 negotiations from November 6 to 18 2022. You may also contact the Department of Sustainable Development at 468-5833.