Caribbean Climate Change Futures 2030 in New York City, to address the Road to Resilience

May 28th, 2014 — On Monday, June 16, 2014, just on the heels of the release of US National Climate Assessment Report, the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS), in partnership with the Consul-General of Jamaica in New York, and the Jamaican Permanent Mission to the United Nations, ICS launches the first in a series of dialogues on climate change in the Caribbean – Caribbean Climate Change Futures 2030: The Road to Resilience at the Consulate of Jamaica in New York city.

The program will highlight the challenges of building climate resilient low-carbon economies and explore opportunities for developing initiatives to effectively participate in adaptation means such as emerging energy and conservation micro-economies; and infrastructure resilience re-engineering.

In preparation for the September 2014 U.N. Climate Summit taking place in New York City, and with a view to planning next steps for Caribbean actors, the forum convenes stakeholders, community leaders and experts in a dialogue around challenges, innovations and opportunities for resource governance and sustainable practices contributing to adaptation, mitigation and resilience of Caribbean economies.

The impacts of climate change are increasingly evident in all Small Islands and Low-lying Coastal Developing States (SIDS) regions, including the Caribbean. Beyond the Caribbean, along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, reveals the impact of changing weather patters and rising sea levels, underscoring the urgency of resiliency planning and climate change adaptations.

New York City, populated by hundreds of thousands of persons of Caribbean origin, has now become more aware, and there is ongoing the most unprecedented debate on global climate change to date in the city. Inclusion of the Caribbean diaspora community in the conversation on climate resilience is both necessary and vital given the transnational economic relationships between the US and the Caribbean.

Slated speakers at the Caribbean Climate Futures 2030 include: H.E. Courtenay Rattray, Ambassador of Jamaica to the United Nations; Dr. Reginald Blake from New York City Panel on Climate Change; Dr. Gordon Taylor from SUNY at Stonybrook; Peter Adams from Acclimatise – a global private sector consultancy on climate adaptation; and Yvette Sterling, Esq., President of the Caribbean Bar Association.

Participants will benefit from the networking with the notable stakeholders being convened by the Institute of Caribbean Studies – including the Caribbean Bar Association, the Caribbean Research Center at Medgar Evers College, the Alumni Foundation of the University of the West Indies, who will serve as convening partners. The reception to follow will be hosted by Tower Isles Patties.

The event offers an unprecedented opportunity for engagement among private sector and civil society actors, research institutions, and the Caribbean diaspora. For more information, kindly contact the Institute of Caribbean Studies at [email protected]

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Clean energy and the future of the Caribbean

Strategies for Caribbean governments to transition to green energy will be put in the spotlight this June 4th at the Harvard Club in New York City as Sir Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room (CWR) teams up with Invest Caribbean Now (ICN), to present ‘Clean Energy and the Future of the Caribbean.’

The panel at ICN, the biggest summit on the Caribbean outside the region, comes on the heels of Branson and the Carbon War Room’s ’10 Island Renewable Challenge,’ issued in February on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.

The plan is to encourage Caribbean nations to switch away from fuel oil and move to low or zero-carbon energy that will not just help keep the air clean but reduce overall energy costs. The average cost of electricity across the Caribbean ranges from $0.30 per kilowatt hour (KWh) to $0.65/KWh – roughly three to six times the price paid in the continental US.

Justin Locke, Director of Islands at CWR, will moderate the panel which will include Diana Jensen, the director of Renewable Energy Finance at the U.S. government’s development finance institution, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, (OPIC); Raul Slavin, managing director of Aspenall Energies; Mark Austin, a venture partner at Bright Capital and Jacques-Philippe Piverger, the CEO and co-founder of MPowered.

Meanwhile, multiple-award Emmy winning WNYW-TV Anchor, Ernie Anastos, will emcee the Summit beginning at 11:30 a.m. on June 4th while Dr. Ma, Lin, Deputy Secretary-General of Beijing Municipal Government will bring greetings from China and Caribbean scholar Dr. Isaac Newton will deliver the key note address.

Trinidad & Tobago’s Minister of Trade, Industry, Investment and Communications, Senator Vasant Bharath will put the spotlight on investment opportunities in the twin-island Republic while Sheila Newton-Moses will put the project spotlight on the Caribbean Market Village of St. Lucia.

Other panels at the summit will also include ‘Global Trends & The Caribbean’ featuring Janine Craane of Merrill Lynch; Valence Williams of Aegis Capital; Sergio Millian, of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce and Anthony A. L. Adjasse of the Allied African Nations Chamber Of Commerce and ‘Medical Tourism – The New Trend In Caribbean Tourism,’ with Colin Childress, CEO of Global Med Choices, Turks & Caicos; Paul Angelchik, chairman of American World Clinics and Patrick Goodness, CEO of The Goodness Company of Costa Rica among others.

Additionally, there will be a panel on the ‘Emerging Relationship Of Chinese Tourism & Investments In The Caribbean,’ featuring Cao, PengCheng of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development and Li Li, executive director of the Chinese American Business Development Center among others.

This year’s featured interview will focus on the ‘Caribbean Diaspora As An Investment Source’ with Qahir Dhanani of the World Bank Group; Leigh Moran of the US State Department and USAID’s IdEA and Irwine Clare of the Caribbean Immigrant Services.

Beverly Hills designer to the stars, Woody Wilson, will make a special announcement regarding his line and the Caribbean while offering a preview of his tropical collection for the region to wrap up the summit.

One Caribbean Television weatherman, Joey Stevens, and his famous side-kick, Bob, will host this year’s ICN Awards Reception, set for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. It will include remarks from Hollywood Actor Malik Yoba and the presentation of awards to Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, Gordon “Butch” Stewart, who will receive the 2014 Invest Caribbean Now Leadership Award.

Past ICN honorees have included Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group and Royal Caribbean Cruises International. Five corporations from across the region will also be honored. They include interCaribbean Airways, One Caribbean Television, First Citizens TT, DHL and HBO Latin America.

IMAGE: cleantechnica.com