A defining moment for energy security, prosperity

From March 12-13, heads of state, ministers of finance and energy, investors, civil-society groups, and energy-industry leaders convened in Barbados for the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll) Forum.

- Gastone Browne

The conference's theme - Sustainable Energy for Equity, Security, and Prosperity - captured an often underappreciated reality: the cleanenergy transition is vital not only to protect the planet but also to enhance economic resilience and energy security in an uncertain global setting.

To be sure, the environmental imperative should not be underestimated, especially in small island developing states (SIDS) like Antigua and Barbuda, which are on the front lines of the climate crisis. In 2017, Hurricane Irma decimated my country in mere hours, with nearly every building on our islands being damaged by the storm's 354 kilometreper-hour winds. Cleanup and reconstruction cost more than $222 million (7.5 billion baht), according to World Bank calculations, yet we still bear the scars, physical and economic, eight years later. And that is just one example: storms, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, and fisheries displacement are costing us dearly, and in a rapidly warming world, we know worse is to come.