Page 32 - “GREENING” THE CONTENT IN CXC® SYLLABUSES

E-LEARNING MODULES AND LEARNING GUIDE FOR TEACHERS

The cost of renewable energy technology has been declining dramatically while the efficiency of

the technology has been increasing steadily. This is especially true for solar and wind energy and

increases the potential for cost savings in the Caribbean.

The energy-climate change nexus discussed earlier. Island nations also are the country’s most

vulnerable to the devastating effects of climate change. Rising sea-levels, higher temperatures
and increased disasters from changing weather patterns is a calamity for these islands. These are

grave threats to the Caribbean even though the islands have extremely low emissions of

greenhouse gases relative to larger countries, responsible for less than 1 percent of total
worldwide carbon emission. The islands are not responsible for global warming, yet they face the

12
most immediate threat from it.

Trinidad and Tobago produce and exports petroleum and petroleum products and natural gas.

Suriname, Barbados, and Belize produce limited volumes of crude oil to supply some of their

domestic needs, but they are all net importers of petroleum products. In the case of Barbados, it

also produces natural gas for domestic use. Guyana has recently begun to export crude oil.

Lack of access to clean, affordable, and reliable energy is a serious constraint to human, social,
and economic development, as well as a major a major impediment to achieving the 2030

Sustainable Development Goals.

The environmental costs of fossil fuel dependence have been great. In many countries of the

region, the presence of oil production, refining and trans-shipment facilities has had
environmental and social impacts, including coastline damage and biodiversity loss from oil spills,

groundwater contamination from refineries, and destruction of coastal ecosystems and

livelihoods. Systems for monitoring and assessing these impacts are rarely adequate.

The rising cost of energy puts an increasing strain on rural communities, and rural enterprises,

which make up a large proportion of the region’s poor, also the use of petroleum products will

12 https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/baseload/the-global-transition-to-renewable-energy-can-the-caribbean-
lead-the-way-part-1-the-potential/
30