Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has called on all sectors in Barbados to get on board as the island forges ahead towards creating a resource efficient green economy.
He said the process offered potential for expansion of the country’s knowledge and information economy; for the development of new markets; for eco-tourism and for accessing new markets for indigenous low-carbon technologies.
Government is partnering with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to create a resource efficient green economy in Barbados.
And at the official launch of the Green Economy Scoping Study at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus earlier today, Stuart restated the vision of late Prime Minister David Thompson to make Barbados “the most environmentally advanced green country in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
“My government continues to be committed to that vision and the emphasis at this point is to consolidate and elevate its efforts to engage business and consumers in its road to greening” the Prime Minister said.
He added government’s approach would among other things, set significant national targets in areas such as energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, waste reduction, public transport efficiency and food security. The six-month Scoping Study being undertaken by the UWI’s Cave Hill Campus will analyze linkages between sectors such as transportation, tourism, housing and agriculture. It will also seek to consider the implications for water, energy and waste-management.
A green economy in the Barbadian context has been defined as “… an integrated production, distribution, consumption and waste assimilation system that at its core, reflects the fragility of our small island ecosystems.”
