A Jesuit Missions’ partner has called on richer nations to take meaningful action on debt cancellation and climate finance to ensure vulnerable communities around the world do not “disappear”.
Patricia Tahirindray, Programme Coordinator at the Centre Arrupe Madagascar, said many countries in the Global South are “suffocating” under the weight of crippling debt repayments and limited access to environmental finance packages.
Speaking at a Jesuits for Climate Justice press conference at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, she said the only fair way to resolve this issue is to address the imbalance.
“Behind every budget line, there are lives,” she said. “Vulnerable countries are not asking for charity, but for justice, equality, and common but differentiated responsibilities, including historical responsibility.
“Those who benefitted most from past emissions have a responsibility to support those who face their consequences. We don’t want to disappear; we want to live.
“Living requires refinancing, not promises. Financing that arrives on time, reaches the right people, comes from grants and frees countries from suffocating debt.”
Patricia acknowledged some steps have been taken, such as inviting conversations on Loss and Damage repayments and making climate adaptability a “priority”.
“Please, let’s stop saying it is complicated.”
– Patricia Tahirindray
But she noted the resources proposed for poorer countries to deal with these issues remain painfully inadequate.
She added that “promises without action” is meaningless, outlining the real impact of climate change on people in Madagascar and other climate vulnerable countries, and how the situation will only get worse if they do not receive proper support.
“Please, let’s stop saying it’s complicated,” she said. “What is complicated is families displaced by floods. What is complicated is farmers losing three seasons in a row. What is complicated is schools destroyed, roads cut off, lives shattered. The rest is political choice.”
The Jesuits for Climate Justice campaign group, which Jesuit Missions and the Centre Arrupe Madagascar are members of, was present throughout the COP30 talks, which ended on Saturday (22 November).
It had three urgent calls for negotiators: to ensure developing countries would receive grants and non-debt-making packages as part of the plan for a just transition to renewable energy; to ensure poorer countries will be able to use resources allocated to the Loss and Damage Fund; and an overall reform of global financing to mandate climate-related debt cancellation.
On Thursday (20 November), it delivered a statement to Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, President of COP30, which detailed these demands.
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