The Caribbean Can Lead the Way
At the just concluded 2022Caribbean Sustainable Energy Conferencehosted by The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) CEO Racquel Moses reinforced the necessity for Caribbean nations and businesses to work together, and where feasible, collaborate with CCSA to accelerate the implementation of urgently required future-proof projects. She also pointed to beacons of hope across several Caribbean countries who are taking the necessary steps to build out and activate their nation’s adaptation plans.
She noted that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, with support from Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator, is making progress in securing an investor for the establishment of asolar panel assembly plantin that country, which will help in their energy transition, income diversification and generating a new niche forceof skilled labour. The Government of Barbados has set the aspirational goal to achievea fossil-fuel-free economy by 2030and in 2021Costa Rica’s electric grid was powered by 98% renewable energy for the seventh straight year.
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) including Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent & the Grenadines are alsopioneers in their geothermal exploration, which will create opportunities for green hydrogen global exports, as well as other opportunities such as providing green data centres for blockchain mining, and Dominica is charting a path to becomethe world’s first hurricane proof country.
Courage Must Replace Complacency
“The region is making progress, but the pace of action must be stepped up,” said Kiesha Farnum, Director of Public Sector Projects at CCSA. “The Caribbean is at the tipping point where courage must replace complacency and where we must see the opportunities in climate adversity. Actionable initiatives such as these lay the framework for the region to become more resilient and help create greater sustainability for the Caribbean.”
The region must also fast-track its transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, geothermal, wind, waste to energy, biomass and hydro power. We must also leverage our blue economy assets such as sustainable fishing and maritime transport and shipping for example, which is a trillion dollar industry, and actively engage in climate-smart agriculture, such as the project we are supporting in Jamaica. These are just a few examples where there are opportunities for the region to drive economic growth, resilience and sustainability.
A Trillion Dollar Industry
Given the broad financial bandwidth required for addressing the climate issue in the region, trillions of dollars ingreen investment will be required, and this represents opportunities. It also suggests that in the Caribbean, there is room to foster more private sector climate financing by efficiently steering capital towards green investments.
With all that has been shared here, the question you may be asking is: How can each of us get involved and go about planting today’s trees so that tomorrow’s generation can enjoy the shade?
The first and most important thing that we can do is advocate, to our governments and with our purchases. As much as individual actions count, what we do as a collective and how we hold our leaders accountable for the policies that will make the wholesale changes needed will have the greatest impact in the immediate term.
As individuals, we can make simple choices around the home such as switching to LED lights, taking shorter showers, or even machine-washing clothes in cold water. Businesses can, for example, consider atransition to renewable energysources, implementing a recycling programme and exploring methods in how we can green the products we export.
Another way you can get involved is if you have a climate-smart project which you believe has the potential to address the climate issue at scale with the right investment. Fill out ourproject matchmaking submission formand we will review it to determine if there is an opportunity for us to assist in accelerating it.
As an Official Nominator forThe Earthshot Prize, the most prestigious global environment prize in history, we can also consider nominating your project for the £1,000,000 Grant prize to scale its impact. The search for the 2022 winners has begun. Find out more athttps://earthshotprize.org/or fill out ourEarthshot Prize Project Nomination Form. Our future is in our hands. The time to act is now.
FAQs
Above Chinese proverb tells us that an ancestor did something that in the short term they will not take benefits from, but instead the next generations will take the benefits.
What is the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator? ›
The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) is dedicated to advancing critical initiatives aimed at establishing a Climate-Smart Zone across the Caribbean region.
What is the Chinese proverb about trees? ›
The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb.
Who is the CEO of the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator? ›
As the CEO of the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator Racquel Moses leads the Accelerator…
What is the quote about planting trees in shade? ›
There is an old Greek proverb that reads, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” It's one the Stoics would have agreed with.
What is the saying about planting trees for the next generation? ›
“You plant a tree not for this generation, but for the next generation,” Wilson said. From where he stood, he'd be in shade 100 years from now.
What is climate-smart food? ›
Promotes best practices at farm and landscape levels, such as soil and water conservation, that build resilience to climate shocks and stresses while reducing agriculture's contributions to climate change.
What is the Caribbean doing to reduce climate change? ›
Countries such as Barbados and Dominica have implemented a range of mitigation and adaptation measures, including increasing public spending on resilient infrastructure, and many have set ambitious targets for emissions reductions.
What are the benefits of climate-smart? ›
Climate-smart agriculture practices can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the efficiency of water and nutrient management, and reduce the need for fossil fuel-based inputs, such as pesticides and fertilizers.
What is a famous Chinese proverb? ›
If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. But if you give him a fishing rod, you feed him for a lifetime. Keep a green tree alive in your heart, and a songbird may come to sing there. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.
There is a proverb that goes like this: The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now. The idea being that it doesn't matter that it would have been better if you did something a long time ago because you would then reap the benefits now.
What is a powerful quote about trees? ›
“To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.” “He that plants trees, loves others besides himself.” “If we lose the forests, we lose our only teachers.” “Learn character from trees, values from roots, and change from leaves.”
What is the Caribbean climate resilience initiative? ›
The U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030) is the U.S. government's flagship partnership with the Caribbean to advance climate adaptation and resilience and clean energy cooperation as we work to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
What is the climate in the Caribbean? ›
The local climate is tropical marine (warm and humid conditions), primarily influenced by the ocean, with annual average coastal temperatures of about 80°F (26 °C). Temperatures are generally coolest in January and warmest in August.
Who runs the climate action tracker? ›
The CAT is the product of two organisations: NewClimate Institute [1] and Climate Analytics [2]. The actions it tracks are: - Effect of climate policies and action on emissions. - Impact of pledges, targets and NDCs on national emissions over the time period to 2030, and where possible beyond.
What does the shade tree symbolize? ›
A shade-tree has weathered the storms, expanded its reach and as a metaphor for our thinking, the shade-tree symbolizes the power, stability and strength we will gain from the storms that life brings us. A shade-tree is a reflection of the self-work each of us is doing.
Who said he plants trees to benefit another generation? ›
Having lost the 1828 presidential election to Andrew Jackson, John Quincy faced an early retirement from public life. He had passed from planting a republic to planting a garden. He could not forget the brief quote from Caecilius Statius. “Seculo prosint” kept appearing in his Diary as he cared for his trees.
What is the meaning of shading tree? ›
A shade tree is a large tree whose primary role is to provide shade in the surrounding environment due to its spreading canopy and crown, where it may give shelter from sunlight in the heat of the summer for people who seek recreational needs in urban parks and house yards, and thus, also protecting them from the sun's ...
What is a generation in a family tree? ›
In a family, a generation means all the people on one level of a family tree. For example, your brothers, sisters and cousins are in the same generation as you. In populations of people, a “generation” means groups of people born in different periods of time.
At the just concluded 2022Caribbean Sustainable Energy Conferencehosted by The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) CEO Racquel Moses reinforced the necessity for Caribbean nations and businesses to work together, and where feasible, collaborate with CCSA to accelerate the implementation of urgently required future-proof projects. She also pointed to beacons of hope across several Caribbean countries who are taking the necessary steps to build out and activate their nation’s adaptation plans.
