NEW YORK, May 7, 2015 —On Saturday, May 9, 2015, the French Caribbean island of Martinique will host the regional summit, Caribbean Climate 2015, which will be chaired by French President François Hollande. The summit will gather over 40 heads of state, governments and Caribbean organizations to discuss the impact of climate change on the island nations of the Caribbean. French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Mr. Laurent Fabius, will also be attending.

Organized by the Regional Council of Martinique, presided by Mr. Serge Letchimy, the summit goal is to give a voice to Caribbean nations on climate change through a joint statement to be heard at COP 21*, which will be held in Paris from November 30 to December 15, 2015.

“Caribbean Climate 2015 is a push” said Serge Letchimy, “to vigorously encourage the international community to reach an agreement at COP21* to keep global warming below 2°C. This is a crucial goal for Caribbean island nations that are particularly vulnerable to climate change and which only contribute 0.3% of global greenhouse emissions.”

Martinique is addressing the climate issue by aggressively implementing the Climate, Air and Energy Master Plan developed in cooperation with the French Government. In order to promote a more circular economy that consumes less non-renewable resources, the Regional Council of Martinique has also decided to go beyond the Master Plan with a program called “Martinique – Sustainable Island.” The goal is to achieve a 100% renewable energy mix by 2030.

The 21st Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

For more information http://www.us.martinique.org/pdf/caraibe-climat.pdf