‘Finding right energy mix crucial’

Minister of State in the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mark Simmonds, MP, says that in order to tackle the grave threat posed by climate change, and to overcome rising fuel prices and the dwindling supplies of fossil fuel, all nations need to develop a wide mix of renewable and sustainable energy sources.

In a message sent to the Marine Environment seminar held earlier last week at the Courtyard Marriott in Barbados, he stressed the need to collaborate through sharing knowledge, expertise and best practice to find ‘green’ energy solutions.

Project Manager for the CARICOM Energy Programme,
Joseph Williams, as he spoke on the need
for a more aggressive energy policy.

Several of the participants at the energy seminar.

“This is not a problem that a single nation can solve alone and seminars like this are an excellent way to bring together international experts: manufacturers, project managers, governments and financiers – to discuss every stage of the process and to see which energy sources would work for you,” he outlined.

Highlighting that island states would be the first to feel the impact of rising sea levels, he urged those in attendance to embrace “the cutting-edge British technology and scientific expertise that can be used to harness the abundant energy of the sun, wind and water, and protect our fragile marine environment and the many thousands of lives and livelihoods which depend on them”.

Programme Manager of CARICOM’s Energy Department, Joseph Williams, emphasised that a more aggressive regional energy policy was necessary, citing that there has been some criticism from several quarters about the approach.

He stated that the policy reflected a compromise between the 15 member states, which have different comparative advantages in different areas in terms of resources.

“One has to look at it through that lens. We are looking at a process that has lasted for more than ten years, so that gives you an idea of the kind of challenges we have at arriving at a regional energy policy. I think it is important for us in terms of sending clear signals to ourselves in terms of where we need to go and also to set priorities,” he outlined. (JMB)