March 31, 2023
The Caribbean must lead by example on renewable energy. Particularly since our region is the most impacted by climate change damages and trauma. If there is no way to make it happen, then look again.
The matter of the hotel sector not preferring renewable energy because it is too expensive to allow renewable to replace fossil fuels at the moment. This is unfortunate news because the tourism product, being our bread and butter, should be the first mover in this matter.
But we understand, renewables is new technology and it must be continually refined for mass consumption. But cleaner, easy to access, energy cannot be expensive in the long term. I would say it is a lack of willingness of hotels in the region in finding a way for renewable to flourish.
Fossil fuels must be phased out. The larger G-20 countries will not take us seriously when we cannot practice what we preach and try to save ourselves and lead the progression of the ultimate changeover from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
We should go as far as to become uniform in all Heads of Agreements for major tourism projects in the country and make them renewable/clean energy only. That would make the world stand on end and say we are serious about this and willing to be pilots for the way forward on clean energy.
We only have our countries to save and by extension, the world. Let’s keep the fight up for a cleaner world.
I am not an expert, or any thing like that, in clean energy and not in dirty energy. But this editorial caught my attention, which deals with the problems that the use of highly polluting energy and the damage caused by climate change mean for the Caribbean.
First, because it is a boomerang for the region, since the deterioration of the environment due to pollution results in punishment from nature: hurricanes, storms, floods degradation.
Second, because tourism is the key to the Caribbean economy; implies that, every time disasters and catastrophes originate, generated by seasonal climates, they contribute to destroying present wealth (destruction of infrastructure), and, future (reduction in tourist visits), which implies disbursements to restore assets and services offered and the slowing down of the flow of visits to the affected areas.
It seems that Capital does not understand that inaction and the replacement cost, every time a disasters occurs, threatens the expected benefits and the return on invested capital, in infrastructure and logistics, in the flow of capital.
Since the Caribbean area is favorable for the development of non-polluting energy structures: solar energy and wind energy, financial institutions governments and private investors would well ask to think of a profitable future, of development, of other energy alternatives not contaminants; In addition, they show other countries (EUROPEAN UNION, USA, CANADA, JAPAN, etc.), the local, national and regional effort and, are encouraged more decisively to supply capital, technologies and aid, for the development of the alternative energy sector to fossil fuels.
It is not an issue that affects only the hotel industry, it is a national and regional survival problem, which should in eluded a State Policy, to give it a solution, which in the long term, can become a “Trojan Horse”.
Raúl Ignacio José Arana Irías
Nicaraguan Poet