We’ve heard a lot about urgent climate action from “world leaders” in developed countries, yet actual concrete achievements have been limited. The rich world may soon be shown up by small, tropical island nations which have plenty of wind and sun and aren’t lumbered with outdated, base-load power plants to keep running. Plus these islands are among the countries most threatened by climate change.
No wonder then that of the 15 nations to fully ratify the Paris climate agreement on the day it was signed in April 2016, 13 were tropical island states.
Impressive developments in the sustainable energy sector are already evident across the Caribbean. Growing expertise in renewables, climate change, and resilience, along with a 2014 study on the Barbados energy sector, all demonstrate the relative ease with which small island states could transition to 100 percent renewable energy systems.
