Small island states tend to face a double challenge when it comes to energy: Securing sufficient energy supplies and dealing with the immediate impacts of climate change. The Caribbean – comprised of 31 individual island states – is facing the brunt of energy and climate insecurity. As the region suffers a Covid-induced economic slump in its all-important tourism industry, it is also witnessing increasing extreme weather events, rising sea levels and extremely high electricity and energy prices. The latter three phenomena have been around for years, so why has the Caribbean not adapted a more sustainable energy policy? Rebecca Bertram has the Details. What with its sunny skies, its abundant water and wind resources, you might assume that the Caribbean has ample renewable energy production. Yet only a handful of Caribbean countries, including Aruba, Dominica and the Dominican Republic – those with one or more hydro power plants – have a renewable energy share of more than 10 percent. According to the World Bank, the average solar power potential in the region lies at an … Continue reading The Caribbean’s energy conundrum