At least two Caricom leaders left for Copenhagen, Denmark, yesterday hoping to assist other world leaders in reaching agreement on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Prime Minister Patrick Manning and his Environment Minister Emily Dick-Forde and Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and his Environment Minister Earl Deveaux left separately for the talks, which are seen as crucial. Ingraham, in a news conference before his departure, said climate change was “a national security issue as it poses a direct and potentially devastating threat to our way of life, our territorial integrity, our well- being and our survival.” Ingraham said climate change “draws limited resources away from other national priorities, including which resources should be directed to education, health care, housing and social assistance.”

He said he was one of the Caricom and Commonwealth Heads who would be seeking “to help forge a consensus on effective responses to climate change, including vigorous mitigation strategies for more vulnerable states such as ours.” Ingraham said he would join other leaders in Copenhagen to press for “a comprehensive, substantial and operationally-binding agreement leading towards a fully legally-binding outcome no later than 2010” to reduce carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases. According to Ingraham: “Such an agreement also should provide for the legitimate aspirations of developing countries.” Meanwhile, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Dr Lenny Saith, will carry out the responsibilities of Manning during his absence from T&T. Manning is scheduled to return to T&T on Sunday.