Kamala Harris meets with Caribbean leaders to discuss climate change

Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Vice President Kamala Harris met with Caribbean leaders to discuss climate change at Blair House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

Harris said during a speech that the U.S. will take a series of steps "in response to the needs of our Caribbean partners" which she said are "on the frontlines of the crisis."

"We will take steps to accelerate the implementation of what we named the U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis, also known as PACC 2030, which I launched at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles," Harris said.

"The United States, to that end, is committed to four areas, in particular."

Harris said the U.S. will identify new clean energy projects, provide technical assistance to Caribbean nations and bring investors to them, and improve access to development financing.

"We are sending a team, in fact, to the Caribbean this fall to jumpstart this process," Harris said.

Harris also commented on food security in the Caribbean, which has been disrupted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Addressing food security in the Caribbean and around the world is a priority for our administration. Since we met at the Summit of the Americas, the work has already begun," Harris said.

Harris added that the U.S. has committed $28 million to provide food security assistance to the Caribbean and will remove non-tariff barriers to facilitate movement of food to the region.

"We will incorporate climate-smart technology into the food protection system and food production system," Harris said.

"And we will provide training on areas such as pest management -- a very important detail and something that must be addressed."

Mia Amor Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados, shared photos with Harris from the event on Twitter.

"We must continue making the right decisions today," she said, "for the sake of our world tomorrow."