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Renewable energy chosen by island nations

Climate Conversations – Island nations commit to renewable energy Alert Net By Veerle Vandeweerd, 11 May 12,  Jamaica is a nation on a mission for sustainable energy for all. The government spent $2.2 billion – or 40 percent – of its foreign exchange earnings on
importing fossil fuels in 2011. So they decided to make a change.

They turned to the nature around them – the sunshine, waterfalls and rivers – investing in renewable energy. By 2030, 30 percent of Jamaica’s energy will come from renewables.

“Innovate or die,” they said, as they sought to expand energy access
to the last five percent of their population and generate efficiencies
wherever possible, swapping out old street lights and air conditioners
and running power plants on cleaner fuels.

Jamaica is one of 29 small island developing states (SIDS) to share
its story of determination to be free from dependence on fossil fuels
during this week’s Achieving Sustainable Energy for All conference in
Barbados.

Just weeks ahead of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development or
‘Rio+20’, these nations with some of the highest energy bills in the
world have come together, with the support of the United Nations
Development Programme, and put forward a list of commitments to
change.

COMMITMENTS

By 2029, Barbados plans to reduce its fossil fuel bill by $283
million, announced Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, in opening the
conference. Mauritius will increase the share of renewable energy to
35 percent or more by 2025; the Seychelles commit to produce 15
percent of energy from renewables by 2030. Timor Leste set out another
timeline of aims: by 2015, no households in the capital will need to
use firewood for cooking; by 2020, 50 percent of energy will come from
renewables; and by 2030, all families will have electricity 24
hours-a-day, with 100,000 families with access to solar energy.

Each of these commitments, captured in the Barbados Declaration,
illustrate that change for a more inclusive, sustainable future is not
only possible but practical.  They give concrete expression to the
kind of change the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All
Initiative seeks to mobilize for a sustainable future…..
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/climate-conversations/island-nations-commit-to-renewable-energy

May 11, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | OCEANIA, renewable