Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on Barbuda, destroying homes and businesses and displacing hundreds of Barbudans from the island that has been their collective home for centuries. Though Barbudans were eventually permitted to return to the island, the challenges they face have persisted. The panel will examine these challenges, focusing specifically on infringements to Barbudans’ collective land rights, efforts to strip Barbudans of their traditional ability to manage the affairs of the island, and the consequences of development activities for climate resilience on the island.

Although the situation in Barbuda is fundamentally shaped by the local context and history of the island, it nonetheless serves as a microcosm of the human impacts of the climate crisis. The panel’s examination of the situation in Barbuda will shed light on experiences that have been shared by communities across the world that are vulnerable to climate change. The situation, moreover, stands as a warning of the profound dangers of the climate crisis and the need for urgent and ambitious action to address it.