In remarks made at the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Forum (CSEF) this week, a representative from the Organization of American States (OAS), Kim Osborne, called for an integrated approach to energy planning. She urged the Forum to “expand the lens of analysis and discussion” to include linkages between energy and other critical areas of sustainable development.
“In the normal course of things, energy is not provided in a vacuum. It impacts and is impacted by several factors, such as poverty, water availability, disaster risk, climate change, health, education and human resource development, human rights, and coastal and marine management,” she pointed out.
In similar fashion, Prime Minister of The Bahamas, the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie on Monday evening called for a connection between energy and what CARICOM Member States needed to function efficiently. The need for an integrated approach to energy was reflected in the discussions of the Ministerial Panel that featured the Hon. Stephenson King, Minister of Infrastructure, Ports, Energy and Labour, Saint Lucia; Mr Kendred Dorsett, Minister of the Environment and Housing, The Bahamas; the Hon. Dr. Reglio Dodson, Minister of Natural Resources, Suriname; Dr. the Hon. Andrew Wheatley, Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Jamaica; Moderator Dr. Ken Leslie, Executive Director, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and keynote presenter, Dr. Al Binger, Interim Director, Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE).
