Francois Jackman: the " Belt and Road" initiative is an important platform for addressing climate change

In the view of the Barbados government, the “Belt and Road" initiative is one of the important platforms for addressing climate change. President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the United Nations General Assembly and pointed out that China is one of the major carbon emitting countries in the world and will become a carbon neutral country in 2060. Many countries have been making changes in this regard. The Prime Minister of Barbados said that Barbados would become a carbon neutral country by 2030. Barbados is much smaller than China. This goal is relatively easy for us. Our commitment has shown that we are advancing in the same direction. The “Belt and Road" can help our two countries achieve the same goal.

China and our country can achieve this goal through cooperation under the guidance of the "Belt and Road" initiative. The first is to exchange our information and experience, and then exchange relevant expertise to promote connectivity between the two countries. In this way, we will know what we need and how much we have. Another important way is to build resilient infrastructure to cope with climate change. China is a leading producer of solar panels. We have been developing the solar economy. With the support of China and its scientific research departments and companies, we can go further in this regard. Third, we should hold multi-national and regional forums to form framework agreements, so that we can make substantive efforts. For example, the Paris Agreement is a very important tool for us to solve problems. The "the Belt and Road" initiative can also strengthen this initiative within a multinational framework. We have signed agreements with many countries within the framework of the United Nations. These climate change goals can only be achieved through our cooperation. The " Belt and Road" is one of the necessary platforms for us to achieve this goal.