Hurricane Melissa Heads Towards Jamaica and Cuba

The hurricane moved with destructive potential towards Jamaica and Cuba, two sister countries with very basic infrastructure and major problems in risk management. As it passed over the sea, Melissa caused destruction, death, and frustration among the affected populations, and it reignited in the media the question of what purpose the Climate Summits organized by the United Nations serve. The Climate Summits, known as Conferences of the Parties (COP), are annual meetings organized by the UN where countries come together to discuss and make decisions on Climate Change. However, Mother Nature, exacerbated by Climate Change, brought a different event that began slowly, with reserved weather forecasts. In fact, the wind speed at critical moments was determined by a multiplicity of factors, in which cold air currents from the North combined with air currents from the South, making its movement over wide areas of the Caribbean very atypical. The conjunction of factors caused the formation of a rarely seen phenomenon, reaching wind speeds of up to 295 km/h, classified as category 5, with a very irregular trajectory. Therefore, it is appropriate to call on environmental and political leaders and to draw attention to this brutal fact of climate injustice. Likewise, it is necessary to redouble efforts of human solidarity with Jamaica and Cuba, which are resilient and get back on their feet in the face of calamities, the havoc caused, and the substantial material losses that demand intensive and effective reconstruction. Without a doubt, the magnitude, frequency, and complexity of disasters in the Caribbean region have highlighted the need to strengthen adaptation plans and increase the capacities of sister countries in the face of devastating phenomena, and the importance of correcting weaknesses in the sphere of Civil Protection and the structure of relief and rescue. Meteorologists and representatives of the region's Civil Protection agencies have warned of the need to improve regional levels of preparedness for catastrophes. The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is an event of impact in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The season officially began on June 1 and will end on November 30, amidst environmental assessments by scientists. Initially, Hurricane Melissa was below the intensity of most phenomena that form in the Caribbean each year. Its main objective is to implement the agreements of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, limiting greenhouse gas emissions and setting new goals to curb global warming. At these Summits, political leaders, scientists, and representatives of social organizations negotiate agreements, assess progress, and define future strategies. The agreements signed have become dead letters, as the developed world has failed to comply with the content of the final resolutions emanating from regional and international events. In the face of that harsh reality, countries like Jamaica and Cuba are left defenseless and become victims of industrialized powers that sign documents that, in practice, will be violated. To this day, no convention has had binding force. News about the giant and devastating Hurricane Melissa, which struck the Caribbean forcefully, is capturing worldwide interest.