Saint Lucia’s Minister of Infrastructure, Ports, Transport, Physical Development, and Urban Renewal, Stephenson King, has urged Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Small Island Developing States (SIDS), to intensify moves towards energy security.
On Thursday, King chaired a Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Energy.
In his opening remarks, the former Saint Lucia Prime Minister described Energy as the lifeblood of any society, impacting economic competitiveness.
King spoke of the need to find an equilibrium between citizens’ standard of living and the cost of Energy and its associated commodities.
“To attain this aspiration, it is essential that we develop our full potential of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency to transform our energy landscape to one that is climate resilient, sustainable, reliable, and affordable, thus improving the quality of life of our people,” he stated.
“Presently, at this time in the global environment, with the uncertainties that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict presents to us and the repercussions already placed at our doorsteps, with volatile and spiralling global oil prices, we, as CARICOM SIDS, must further intensify our drive towards Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and ultimately Energy Security,” King told the event.
However, he explained that attaining these milestones could only happen if CARICOM states are resilient collectively, not separately.
“It is our human capacity that will define our resilience,” King observed.
He noted that the Caribbean region is vulnerable to the environmental effects of climate change.
And he recalled that CARICOM Member States have been negotiating for ‘our lives’ in the climate race, advocating that the world needs to maintain temperature increases below 1.5 degrees to stay alive, as temperatures above pre-industrial levels will be detrimental to the Caribbean region.
“As CARICOM SIDS, our advocacy on the subject must be sustained and the decibel levels must be synthesised and intensified if we are to achieve this survival landmark,” King asserted.
Another empty talks. If words could have been costly to people life you politician would have evaporated in thin air in no time.
King? The heavy roller? Evaporate? What you smoking garçon?
Whatever legislation you’re looking to pass is only a step to put your name down in St.Lucia’s history books as have all your other colleagues have been doing since taking up your respective ministerial portfolio. Nothing in the true interest of the development of St. Lucia and St. Lucians.
Your Energy policy will be shoved down St. Lucians’ throats filled with bogus, unattractive, unattainable data and promises; and nothing to address the true sense of achievabilities aim at the low and middle income St. Lucian for generating their own energy for self-sufficient and sustainability.
You, CARICOM and all the rest are not serious, have not truly realized and understand the true potential of the islands capacity and ability to generate energy from the foundational source of the free solar radiation to set your policies and legislation around that foundational source.
Architecture, tariffs, building codes, standards and a whole lot more must first be brought into the discussions.