Just Caribbean Updates

Jordi Amaral

December 19, 2024

While Belize pushes for environmental conservation and an energy transition, a lack of skilled professionals focused on renewable energy hinders opportunities for change, according to Climate Tracker. Solar energy, in particular, has seen a recent boom, causing prices for solar panels to fall dramatically, but “without qualified technicians, the country risks failing to meet its energy goals of becoming a low-carbon nation by 2040.” Climate Tracker notes that “Since being established in 2010, the Institutes of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ITVETs) have become a crucial solution for developing a skilled workforce to meet the needs of various technical and vocational sectors in Belize’s economy,” highlighting “the collaboration between ITVETs and the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), which has helped to design a two-year renewable energy program at ITVET-Belize City.” Similar challenges have caused concern elsewhere in the world, among Global North and Global South countries alike, prompting some to promote the concept of “green skilled migration” to supercharge the energy transition.

In a separate article, Climate Tracker looks at Belize’s efforts to promote hydropower and other renewable energy sources while protecting the country’s reefs. The story “explores Belize’s journey toward an energy transition, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that come with reducing fossil fuel dependence while protecting its invaluable ecosystems.”

Climate Justice

• A new report by the Global Justice Clinic at NYU Law and the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law “outlines the impacts of climate harms on Haitian people and their human rights, the colonial construction of Haiti’s climate vulnerability, and the legal and moral arguments for reparations to advance both climate and racial justice. It also touches on grassroots efforts in Haiti for climate resilience and to advance land rights, environmental justice, and community self-determination.”
  
  
• The “Barbados government has signed a US $12.4 million loan agreement and US $300,000 grant agreement with the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF)… The loan will be used to co-finance activities required to support the Reduce, Re-use, Recycle Climate Resilience Wastewater Systems Project,” reports Loop.
  
  
• Antigua and Barbuda is the only English-speaking Caribbean nation thus far to sign the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative (FFNPTI), reports Climate Tracker, explaining, “The dilemma of signing on to such a treaty initiative is as complex for developing countries as it is for developed countries. Oil and gas-based economies such as T&T, Suriname, and Guyana depend on revenue from fossil fuels to bolster their economies.”
  
  
• Climate Tracker highlights the role of community input in Trinidad and Tobago and improving public literacy and social norms about climate change and renewable energy alternatives. For example, “The Trinidad and Tobago Climate Network has engaged in community engagement with a focus on a just energy transition. Their “Power Up” project in 2023 was a collaboration with 350.org and the Caribbean Climate Network, featuring a collection of artists and writers. Persons submitted their pieces to build an anthology called “Perspectives on the Just Transition of Trinidad and Tobago” as part of the campaign.”
  
  
• Crocodile sightings are increasing in Jamaica “as extreme drought and more intense rainfall in recent years due to climate change is displacing the animals from their natural habitat.” Check out the two-part series from Television Jamaica here and here.
  
  
• “A new scientific study from Temple University’s College of Science and Technology (CST) has identified 35 new species of forest lizards, all from islands in the Caribbean. However, that same study has also found that these species of lizards won’t be around for long unless significant conservation efforts are undertaken to protect them.” (Temple Now)
  
  • On a similar note, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect four skinks found only in the Caribbean. The agency also proposed designating more than 150,400 acres of protected critical habitat for the four rare lizards,” which are found in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (Center for Biological Diversity)

Jamaican Constitution

• Jamaicans for Justice discuss the proposed constitutional amendment bill in Jamaica to turn the country into a republic and remove the UK monarchy as the head of state, among other provisions. Check out the radio show here.
  
  • The amendment may be bogged down by the opposition, writes Kristen Gyles at The Gleaner, additionally calling for greater public input.

Democratic Governance

• Professor Rosalea Hamilton dives deep into the complexities of Jamaican democracy, and offers a nuanced perspective on the island nation’s political landscape, moving beyond surface-level observations to explore the core challenges and opportunities for democratic growth. – Dialogues That Matters
  
  
• “A parliamentary session in the Bahamas has been dramatically suspended after an opposition MP threw a ceremonial mace out a window… Local media said the melee was sparked when (Speaker) Deveaux refused to allow Opposition Leader Michael Pintard to address allegations in a US indictment accusing federal police of involvement in drug trafficking,” reports BBC, noting, “In 1965, the leader of the opposition did the same thing in a push for electoral change, in an event dubbed “Black Tuesday”.”

Regional Relations

• “Ten years ago this month, the United States and Cuba reached a historic deal to normalize diplomatic relations, which was intended to end decades of acrimonious conflict between the two countries and bring prosperity to Cuba. Instead, relations today are at a low point, and Cuba is facing one of the worst economic crises in its history,” write William LeoGrande and Peter Kornbluh at Foreign Policy, reviewing the history of détente and the current intensification of tensions.
  
  • La Joven Cuba looks at actions the incoming Trump administration in the US may take against Cuba.

Migration

• “Guyana is among the countries invested in full free movement in the Caribbean and embracing all of CARICOM’s CSME treaty obligations, per the Guyanese foreign minister, reports Stabroek News.” (via Americas Migration Brief)

Human Rights

• “International Day of Persons with Disabilities was celebrated on Dec. 3. While it is true that some strides have been made in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to empower persons with disabilities, significant issues remain that pose serious barriers and restrict progress on the rights of persons with disabilities in Vincentian society,” writes Jeshua Bardoo at iWN, calling for the country to accede to the Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (CIADDIS).
  
  
• ““Cage-like trucks fitted with iron bars that appear designed to carry livestock line up every morning at the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The vehicles at the Elías Piña border crossing are not loaded with cattle, but with Haitians being deported by the Dominican immigration authorities. They include young men, pregnant women, unaccompanied children and some people who have never lived in Haiti,” reports New York Times, highlighting abuses during the Dominican Republic’s current mass deportation campaign.” (via Americas Migration Brief)

Public Security

• “Armed gangs attacked Haiti’s only neurological trauma center with Molotov cocktails on Monday, partially destroying the Port-au-Prince hospital,” explains Jordana Timerman at Latin America Daily Briefing.

Financial Inclusion

• “The Financial Services Commission of Belize (FSC) has welcomed the enactment of the Moveable Property Secured Transactions Legislation, describing it as a “landmark step towards financial inclusion and economic growth.” The company said the legislation modernizes Belize’s financial landscape by enabling movable assets to be used as collateral for loans and establishing the Secured Transactions and Collateral Registry (STCR).” (Caribbean Times)

Events

• “CANARI and the Caribbean Climate Justice Alliance hosted a regional webinar series between September 12th and October 24th to share perspectives on ensuring just and equitable climate finance in the Caribbean.” Check out the following event recordings:
  
  • Financially Locally Led Action
    
  • Loss and Damage Finance
    
  • Debt, Climate Justice and Finance
    
  • Open, Climate Responsive Budgeting

The Just Caribbean Updates will be pausing publication temporarily — we hope to resume shortly.

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