Prime Minister Gaston Browne has accused the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) of failing to take a position on climate change, describing the issue as the most pressing challenge facing small island states.

Speaking on Pointe FM’s _Browne and Browne Show_ , Browne said that despite decades in politics, UPP leader Harold Lovell has not made a single substantive statement on climate change.

“You see yourself as a leader. You want to lead a country. But there’s not a single statement about climate change,” Browne said, adding that the UPP’s political discourse has been dominated instead by personal attacks.

Browne contrasted the opposition’s record with his Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), noting that as far back as 2014, while in opposition, the ABLP devoted pages in its manifesto to energy transition and reducing the country’s carbon footprint.

“Not one word from the UPP,” he said.

He went further, citing research that confirmed Lovell has no documented policy statements directly addressing climate change, apart from a passing mention of a “greener Barbuda” in the party’s 2023 manifesto.

Browne argued this silence shows the UPP is “not issue-based and is mired in ignorance”.

The Prime Minister urged Antiguans and Barbudans to pay close attention to the climate debate, stressing that the consequences are “multidimensional,” from stronger hurricanes to coral reef destruction and rising sea levels.

He also framed climate advocacy as central to his government’s agenda, highlighting Antigua and Barbuda’s international leadership in pushing for climate justice and reparations at the United Nations.