As Hurricane Melissa – now a Category 5 storm – tears through Jamaica with catastrophic winds and torrential rains, 350.org warns that the Caribbean is once again paying the highest price for a crisis it did not cause. The disaster comes just two weeks before COP30, where world leaders are expected to deliver a credible plan to end fossil fuel expansion and keep global heating below 1.5 °C, a target we are now dangerously breaching.
Amira Odeh, Caribbean Campaigner at 350.org, warns that “What is happening in Jamaica is what climate injustice looks like. Every home without electricity, every flooded hospital, every family cut off by the storm is a consequence of political inaction. We cannot continue losing Caribbean lives because of the fossil fuel industry’s greed. As world leaders head to COP30, they must understand that every delay, every new fossil fuel project, means more lives lost. Jamaica is the latest warning, and Belém must be where we finally see a steer to change courses. The Caribbean is sounding the alarm once again. This time, the world must listen.”
As Melissa devastates Jamaica, the world is witnessing what the failure to act on climate truly means. Across the Caribbean, communities have repeatedly faced catastrophic storms, often with energy systems too fragile to recover quickly. Hurricane Maria in 2017 left Puerto Rico in darkness for months with over 4,000 deaths. In 2024, Hurricane Beryl devastated Grenada, St. Vincent, Barbados and more islands while also breaking meteorological records. Now, 2025 is set to be the hottest year ever recorded, with global temperatures already surpassing 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels for several months this year. What was once a warning has become the lived reality of millions.
“We are okay at the moment but bracing ourselves for the worst”, said Jamaican Climate activist Tracey Edwards, as Hurricane Melissa was approaching the island. Edwards has experienced various climate disasters in the country. “I’ve grown weary of these threats and I do not want to face the next hurricane, nor the risky alternatives to survival – A person living with diabetes, like myself, can easily become a statistic. These crises are preventable”, she adds.
At COP30 in Belém, world leaders must confront this reality with courage. The era of excuses is over, it’s time to phase out fossil fuels, invest in resilient, reliable and decentralized renewable energy, and deliver climate finance and justice for those on the frontlines.
Media contact:
Mariana Abdalla | + 55 21 998235563 | [email protected]