Act now to secure green, clean future

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) A call to urgent action has been issued to the populace of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to exercise responsible action now in order to ensure that future generations benefit from prudent energy policies and to secure economic and environmental sustainability.
Mr. Joseph Williams, Programme Manager, Energy, at the CARICOM Secretariat made the call on Monday in Trinidad and Tobago as activities to mark CARICOM Energy Week (CEW) 2013, got underway. Among the activities to mark the CEW are an essay competition among the Community’s Secondary Schools and a Region-wide, live panel discussion via the Caribbean Media Corporation at 8pm, on Thursday 14 November, 2013. Among the panelists will be government Ministers with responsibility for energy, senior policy-makers and sector experts.
CEW, the third of its kind, is being observed across the Community from 10 – 16 November, 2013 -under the theme `A Secure and Sustainable Energy Future Begins Now’.
“…Energy Week provides the opportunity to reflect and have useful dialogues and engagements and build awareness on the issues towards ensuring that we make optimal decisions in relation to our energy future. In this regards, all citizenry and stakeholders at all levels must necessarily be engaged since the energy issues span the social, economic, political, technical, and also has profound environmental dimensions. CARICOM Energy Week is about increasing the awareness; it’s about creating a platform for useful dialogue and the influencing of actions at all levels towards the desired transformation,” Mr. Williams said. 
Recognition, he said, had to be made that as individuals, citizens, businesses, and governments, our energy future would be dependent on the policies, strategies and actions that are pursued now.

“Therefore, we must reflect and re-set, recognizing the emerging potency of the green and clean themes, and need for increased stewardship to ensure economic and environmental sustainability. As we do so, we recognize that we will need the support from our development partners who have been supporting sustainable energy development in the Region over the years. We express thanks for their support continued over the years and, in particular, the Government of Germany for support of CARICOM Energy Week activities in Member States and at the regional level,” Mr. Williams said.