| By the time Gonsalves and Mitchell briefed their nations the day after Beryl hit, it was clear the storm had completely devastated parts of their countries, causing deaths, leaving thousands homeless, destitute and traumatised, their thriving communities reduced to rubble. The two leaders blame the climate crisis for the hurricane, which was fuelled by a warmer-than-usual ocean. Their claims are supported by science, which has identified more frequent and more destructive tropical storms as one consequence of human-induced climate change. Weeks on, the prime ministers are struggling to find the hundreds of millions of dollars they say are desperately needed to rebuild homes, businesses, and infrastructure – let alone provide relief to the many people still without shelter, food, running water and electricity. Both described the money raised so far from insurance policies and contributions, which include £500,000 from the UK, as a “drop in the bucket”. And so, in a joint appeal, they implored “major emitters” that “engineered the climate crisis” for the sake of prosperity to do the morally responsible thing: help foot the bill. “How is a country with very little fiscal space going to rebuild 2,500 houses, as in the case of SVG? Even a larger country, [with a] larger economy will find that very problematic, much less to a country as small and fragile as ours … We really need your help. It’s as simple as that. If you have a sense of responsibility and humanity, and I believe you do have, I think you will assist,” Gonsalves said at a press conference. The prime ministers stopped short of naming the “major emitters”. But in an earlier interview with me for the Guardian, Gonsalves complained that the climate crisis had not been a central feature in the recent UK election. Along with others in Europe, the UK is one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. The latest data suggests China, the United States, India, Russia and Japan are now the top producers of harmful carbon dioxide. Gonsalves and Mitchell have made it clear that they need grants, not loans, stressing that they cannot take on more debt as a result of climate-related destruction. They also called for new forms of financing for vulnerable states, with Gonsalves describing the current international financial institutions as “not fit for purpose”. So far, their appeals appear to have been met with silence, though tough conversations may be happening behind closed doors. These may continue into the annual UN climate change conference, Cop, which Gonsalves has branded “a talk shop”. Discussions could be more fraught if the coming American election on 5 November, days before Cop29, results in Donald Trump reclaiming the White House. In his time in power, Trump withdrew the US from the landmark Paris climate agreement, which he said was “flawed”. What is clear is that the Caribbean, sitting in a dangerous hurricane belt, will need to find a way to remain habitable. For Mitchell and Gonsalves, who have praised the resilience of their people and offered them hope with mantras such as “we will rebuild stronger”, this is a matter of survival. Facing the prospect of more hurricanes during the season that runs from June to November, they warned failure to act urgently will result in the end of humanity as we know it in the region. “Our people, our societies, our islands want to stay alive,” Mitchell said. “We deserve to stay alive. And so we need your help and your assistance in making this happen.” Natricia Duncan is the Guardian’s Caribbean correspondent Read more: | 