In an interview with FRANCE 24, the president of Seychelles hailed the deal reached at the COP27 climate conference on a "loss and damage" fund for vulnerable nations as "good news". Wavel Ramkalawan said that "loss and damage" had been a long-standing request of small island states like his, but added that the key now was implementation and funding. "I hope that this good news is translated into reality immediately, because the world doesn't have time to wait," he said. Ramkalawan underlined that the islands of his archipelago face a very real risk of disappearance if no serious action is taken against climate change.
Seychelles has signed an oil exploration agreement with a Canadian company as a way to leverage rich countries. Ramkalawan explained that if developed countries did not want the oil to be exploited, they should offer compensation.
