Close to 1,300 delegates from 80 countries will assemble at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre over the next two days for the Sixth Sustainable Energy For All (SEforAll) Global Forum.
A number of high-level speakers, including Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, will address the meeting. In addition to various presentations and panel discussions, there will be two ministerial meetings, including one for small island developing states.
During yesterday’s press conference at the Hilton Barbados Resort to discuss the March 12 and 13 conference, Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins, acknowledged the aggressive timeline on Barbados’ energy transition targets.
Senator Cummins stated: “The global emitters have put us on the frontline… and we have committed to being part of the solution, not just for ourselves, but on behalf of all other small island developing nations, [and] on behalf of the developing world.
“We’re very pleased to be able to partner with countries from around the globe…this week, talking about how we can innovate, access financing on terms that are more suited to our development needs, and how do we have access to the goods and services that facilitate our energy transition.”
The Minister said youth would be participating in the forum and stressed that this was important as it allowed them to frame the future they wanted to be a part of, and not the one the older generation saw for them.
“Youth participation is critical, as we see it…. They have to have a seat at the table. They have to be a part of the process. And if they’re a part of the process now, … they can then put themselves in positions where they can lead….
“In the public sector in Barbados, and the energy sector specifically, we have grave difficulty attracting the kinds of skills among youth that we really need. They do want to work in the private sector, where wages and salaries are significantly higher, or they work for themselves,” Senator Cummins explained.
CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy For All and Co-Chair of UN Energy, Damilola Ogunbiyi, emphasised the importance of the forum, stating that energy is at the heart of economic growth. She noted that people could not develop without the right levels of energy.
“The story is bleak right now. If we continue at this pace, we will still have 600 million people without access to electricity at all, and we’ll have about 1.8 billion people without access to clean cooking fuels….
“We’re living in a world that is not equitable and it’s not just, and what we want to…make sure [is that] nobody is left behind…. You can’t get to climate positive or net zero in one country and leave the half of the world behind. We have to do it together, because they’re all interconnected,” Ms. Ogunbiyi underlined.
CEO of Formula E, Jeff Dodds, said Formula E was launched 10 years ago to create a world-class motorsport, accelerate the energy transition from internal combustion engine to battery electric vehicles, and show a different way to create sporting events from a sustainable perspective.
Mr. Dodds noted that back then, 300,000 battery electric vehicles had been sold in the world, but this year, between 17 and 20 million electric vehicles will be sold. He stressed that Formula E, which focuses on environmental and social sustainability, has about 400 million fans around the world.
“So, anywhere we race, first of all, the entire event is powered by renewable energy…, or in some cases, we take renewable energy from the grid, but the entire event is powered by it. Where we have to purchase carbon credits we buy them in the place that we race and focus on renewable energy.
“So, everything we do is focused on doing it in the most sustainable way possible…,” the CEO of Formula E said.
Mr. Dodds proffered the view that sport unlocks enthusiasm and dynamism, but regrettably the voice of sport was not being used to tell these stories for the next generation. He noted that he recently attended a motoring event with 12 global influencers and 700 million young adults.
“So, using sports and using their voices to tell these stories is incredibly important…. These conversations are being had less and less. So, using our voice to amplify these important messages is something we feel very strongly about,” he said.
At the end of the press conference, Mr. Dodds presented Minister Cummins with a small token from Barbadian racing driver, Zane Maloney, who also competes in Formula E. (PR/GIS)
Caption: CEO of Formula E, Jeff Dodds, presents Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins, with racing gloves from Barbadian driver, Zane Maloney, following today’s press briefing on the Sixth Sustainable Energy For All (SEforAll) Global Forum. Looking on are CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy For All, Damilola Ogunbiyi (left) and Formula E Vice President of Sustainability, Julia Pallé (right).