A roadmap for the Caribbean’s energy transition, an Atlantic Council report by David Goldwyn, Eugene Tiah, and Wazim Mowla, presents “a five-step roadmap is designed to ensure that the region’s future energy systems are reliable, affordable, and resilient to the effects of climate change and exogenous economic shocks, and can underpin economic growth across the region”.
“The Caribbean requires both an energy transition and an energy-system transformation away from its reliance on fossil fuels. Transitioning power generation and transportation from fossil fuels to higher shares of renewable energy and battery storage will address the region’s vulnerability to fossil-fuel price volatility and concerns about energy-system resilience. But regional energy systems must also be transformed. If energy systems (including electrical grids and utility structures) are not upgraded and modernized, most power grids will be unable to integrate significant renewable-energy projects and the region will remain unable to attract large-scale renewable projects. It will be important for the international community to recognize that the region’s dependence on fossil fuels will persist over the next decade as the transition takes place. Affordable access to lower-carbon fossil fuels, such as natural gas, will be needed to provide backup power generation, and to increase resilience to renewables’ variable nature and their vulnerability to climate change”.
Migration
A document produced by the Inter-American Bank (IDB) and the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), presents a policy review on migration in nine Caribbean countries, outlining challenges and opportunities for the integration of the migrant population and a successful engagement with diasporas to advance the development of the region.
It has been ten years since the Dominican Republic’s Constitutional Court retroactively changed the country’s nationality rules, stripping the citizenship rights of people born in the DR to irregular migrants. The measure severely affected the population of Haitian descendants, which has experienced a crisis of statelessness ever since. (El Espectador)
IACHR called for the Dominican Republic “to take effective action to restore the right to a nationality for those individuals who remain stateless”. (press release, via Americas Migration Brief)
Civil society organizations “asked the Dominican government to stop what they consider to be retaliations against thousands of Dominican people of Haitian descent, Haitian people with or without current immigration documentation, unleashed as a result of the conflict between the Dominican Republic and Haiti for the construction of a canal over the Dajabón River (Masacre),” reports Acento.
“Many Caribbean countries' health ministers are frustrated by continually losing healthcare workers to international markets,” reports Newsday, noting calls for “WHO member states that recruit healthcare workers from the Caribbean to invest in the region to train more people.” (Via Americas Migration Brief)
Just 9,000 Venezuelans in Trinidad and Tobago have regular status despite official estimates of 60,000 Venezuelans in the country and estimates from NGOs reaching up to 130,000, reports France24, highlighting labor exploitation and discrimination. (Via Americas Migration Brief)
The Caribbean and the World
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley is emerging as the leading candidate for the role of United Nations Secretary-General in the upcoming selection process scheduled for 2026. While Mia Mottley has not officially declared her candidacy and has responded reservedly to the news, insiders suggest that she is currently the frontrunner among potential candidates. (CaribDailyNews)
It would “be a mistake to focus solely on Global South countries’ economic and geopolitical differences to dismiss their ability to create coalitions aiming to revamp the international system and take a greater role in it ... Global South countries have not only been marginalized by globalization and capitalism, but they also bear the brunt of these processes’ negative consequences,” writes Aude Darnal in World Politics Review. “These shared experiences of being historically sidelined from international global governance help fuel the attempts to now find common ground, as the BRICS Summit demonstrated.”
The U.N. Security Council approved a Kenyan-led multinational security force to Haiti to help its government combat violent gangs. The vote came a year after the Haitian government first requested an international military intervention, reports the Miami Herald. (See Tuesday’s Latin America Daily Briefing.)
The multinational security force has faced criticism from various quarters. For example, some Kenyans and Haitians, along with foreign affairs experts, argue that Kenya's involvement in Haiti may violate Haiti's sovereignty. They believe that Kenya's decision is influenced by Western powers, raising questions about the country's independence in making such a commitment. (Semafor)
The closure of the Haiti-Dominican Republic border has forced Haitian clinics and hospitals to turn patients away as they ration anesthesia and other medical supplies, reports the Miami Herald.
Cuba’s announcement last month that it had arrested 17 people for involvement in a human trafficking ring recruiting young men to fight for Russia raised questions about the extent of cooperation between the two countries — but “conversations with Cubans in Cuba and Russia reveal a different side of the story: of desperate young men who see enlistment in the Russian army as their best shot at a better life — even if not all of them seem to know what they were getting themselves into,” reports Politico. (Via Latin America Risk Report)
Democratic Governance and Justice
Sylvanie Burton swore in as Dominica’s first woman and Kalingo Indigenous president on Monday. (St. Vincent Times, CARICOM Today)
A long-running corruption case in the Turks and Caicos Islands involving government officials and attorneys has ended with a mixed verdict. Former Deputy Premier Floyd Hall was found guilty of bribery, while attorney Clayton Greene was found guilty of concealing criminal proceeds. (AP News)
The Jamaican government offered 36,000 USD dollars as compensation to George Williams, who spent 50 years in prison without a trial before his release in 2020. (The Gleaner)
Polls conducted by Market Research Services Limited on behalf of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group show that 91.5% of Jamaicans want impeachment legislation for charges to be brought against elected officials found guilty of unlawful activities, and 88.8% want recall legislation for underperforming members of parliament. Additionally, nearly 50% of respondents believe that the office of the prime minister has too much power under the current parliamentary system. (The Gleaner)
Decolonisation
“It must be Puerto Ricans who decide how and in what direction to decolonize Puerto Rico; not its oppressors. Allowing mega-rich outsiders and tax evaders to participate in the Island’s future would be the colonizer’s ultimate insult and transform Puerto Rico into a “Hawaii 2.0,” where the natives are forced to the margins. We cannot allow that to happen”, states Mark-Viverito for Daily News, a former speaker of the New York City Council, chairs the board of El Otro Puerto Rico, a social investment and anti-displacement initiative on the Islan
“ Puerto Rico must prove that it can more effectively police the program to weed out the bad actors. While that won’t solve the commonwealth’s deeper economic problems, it will at least help ensure that the island receives some fiscal benefit from a program that has rubbed salt in the wounds of the island’s working-class residents”, explains Jonathan Levin, journalist, for The Washingtong Post on his article Puerto Rico Is Being Far Too Generous With Rich Investors.
Climate and Environmental Justice
A study by the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) reveals that a significant percentage of individuals affected by bauxite mining and processing in Jamaica are unaware of their rights and lack the means to seek fair compensation. The study also underscores the wide variation in compensation amounts based on location, company, and individual knowledge of the law. (The Jamaica Gleaner)
Six years after Hurricane Maria, some residents and organizations in Puerto Rico have taken proactive steps to address the challenges brought by the hurricane's aftermath. They are focusing on initiatives such as solar power adoption and local agriculture to achieve energy independence and economic resilience. These efforts represent a grassroots approach to recovery and self-sufficiency in the face of ongoing challenges in Puerto Rico. (ABC News)
Sweelan Renaud, a marine biologist, explains the importance of coral reefs in protecting coastlines, supporting the economy, and sustaining marine life. “Though coral reefs are fragile, they are intricate ecosystems teeming with vibrant marine life. These underwater wonders are far more than just picturesque attractions; they are the unsung heroes of our coastal communities”.
The Caribbean region is facing a serious threat to food security due to record-breaking heatwaves, primarily caused by climate change. These heatwaves are negatively impacting agriculture, crop yields, livestock, food prices, and the health and livelihoods of agricultural workers. (Forbes)
Jamaica has not yet signed several critical international environmental agreements such as The High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Treaty) or The Escazú Agreement despite the potential benefits and the importance for environmental protection and sustainability. (Petchary’s Blog)
A group of 39 civil society organisations and individuals have called on Jamaica’s government to ratify Escazú Agreement. (Petchary’s Blog)
Breadfruit, traditionally grown in tropical regions such as the Pacific and the Caribbean, is gaining attention for its multiple benefits, including its role in enhancing food resilience and security, its nutritional facts, its environmental sustainability, and its culinary versatility. (Forbes)
Climate Analytics Caribbean has launched the IsLanD Advancement project, which aims to gather data, conduct research, and enhance data analysis on the extent of losses and damages in 14 CARICOM states, reports Trinidad & Tobago Guardian.
Redonda, a tine Caribbean island, has achieved a successful eco-restoration which has transformed from a desolate rock to a verdant wildlife haven. This was achieved through the removal of invasive species and the protection of the island's ecosystem. (BBC)
Former presidential petroleum adviser Jan Mangal suggests that Guyana would receive the same income while also minimising its contribution to global warming by correcting the injustices of the past secret awards of the Stabroek, Canje and Kaieteur Blocks and renegotiating a fair share - five to 10 times more than currently in accordance with standard practice - of revenue for the country, in his article in the Latin America Advisor.
Engineers at MIT and in China have developed a solar-powered desalination system that has the potential to produce freshwater cheaper than tap water. This system has a higher water-production rate and a higher salt-rejection rate than other passive solar desalination concepts, making it a cost-effective and sustainable solution for producing freshwater. (MIT)
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law has published a new academic report ITLOS Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: Summary of Briefs and Statements Submitted to the Tribunal where they provide a summary of the briefs and statements submitted to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in response to a request for an advisory opinion on climate change-related legal questions by the Co-Chairs of Commission of Small Island States, one of which is Antigua and Barbuda. (See Sept. 13’s post.)
Forty parliamentarians thus far have signed the "Global Parliamentarians Pledge on Loss and Damage” calling for the delivery of a Loss and Damage Fund at COP 28 that is successful in design and implementation, more are expected to join.
A new brief published by The Loss & Damage Collaboration highlights the role that the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance will play in raising the hundreds of billions of dollars needed to fill the Loss and Damage Fund.
Deep sea mining impacts “would essentially be irreversible on human time scales. So once the damage is done, there is no going back”, stated Emma Wilson, an ocean campaigner who works with the Deep See Conservation Coalition. (AJ+, see Just Caribbean Updates for Aug. 1)
The Diaspora
A survey conducted as part of the Black British Voices (BBV) project has revealed that over a third of Black Britons do not view Britain as their permanent home and desire to live elsewhere in the future. (The Voice)
Economics and Finance
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean, Pacific, and Africa have increasingly turned to expensive private debt to cope with the effects of climate change, particularly in the aftermath of major disasters according to a new International Institute for Environment and Development paper.
Blackouts in Cuba will increase substantially due to lack of fuel, adding to difficulties generated by food and medicine shortages, reports the Reuters. Citizens can expect blackouts of up to eight to 10 hours a day outside Havana, where residents are usually spared power outages, starting in October, according to official announcements this week.
Trinidad and Tobago’s foreign exchange woes are unlikely to disappear given the country’s reliance on imports. “The only way to tackle the shortfall is to shore up local manufacturing and economic diversification; increase the volume of sources that can earn us US. This won't happen, because the Government insists on defending an indefensible exchange rate”, argues Trinidadian journalist Paolo Kernahan in Newsday.
Children and Youth
The "dunce" culture, symbolized by students using backpacks labeled as "dunce," continues to persist in Jamaican society despite efforts to counteract it. “Gone are the days when teachers were seen as role models for students; there has been a tsunami-like shift in our values and attitudes over the years, and this has given rise to a number of sub-cultures, many of which are toxic”, argues Wayne Campbell, an educator and social commentator. (Waykam)
Human Rights
Two men in Puerto Rico pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit a hate crime involving a transgender woman named Alexa Negrón Luciano, who was killed more than three years ago. (AP News)
History
A rare 1493 Latin translation of Christopher Columbus’ letter announcing the “discovery” of the Americas is expected to fetch up to $1.5m at a Christie’s auction this month — Guardian.
Events
The conference Carbon Markets & Rights: Indigenous Peoples' Perspectives on Approval of ART TREES Credits in Guyana was held onf September 18th at the New York University Law School. The recording is now available.
4 October — Climate Analytics will be helding the online event Defining a Regional Goal on Adaptation for the Caribbean. Register.
18 October — TEDxPort of Spain Women in Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago. Buy tickets.
Opportunities
Acts of Repair:Loss and Damage is an online artistic research residency aimed at facilitating a transdisciplinary exchange around the issue of loss and damage caused by the climate crisis. The deadline for the application is November 12th, 2023.