Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa Water, Sanitation May -June 2014 Vol.9 No.3 | Page 34

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strategic interests. It is a noble legacy, and an effort
that we will continue to uphold for all time and at every
opportunity.
In response to Barbados’s proposal to commemorate the
legacy of two decades of the BPOA, the UN designated
2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing
States.
The BPOA, and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further
Implementation of the BPOA, which followed thereafter,
both recognise that there are common issues impacting
on SIDS: climate change; natural and environmental
disasters; management of waste; coastal and marine
resources; and energy and tourism, among others.
Regional cooperation initiatives have helped to
address some of these issues. Supported by the
global commitment to the 20-year SIDS agenda, these
initiatives include the Caribbean Planning for Adaptation
to Climate Change (CPACC), and the Integrating
Watershed and Coastal Area Management (IWCAM) in
the Small Island Development States of the Caribbean.
The CPACC, for example, has installed sea level and

BARBADOS
The Host Country of the 2014 World
Environment Day Global Celebrations
Barbados, a Caribbean island on the cutting edge of the
fight against climate change, will host this year’s WED global
celebrations on 5 June 2014.
With an area of 431 square kilometers of land and a population of a
little over 270,000, this Small Island Developing State is considered
to be highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change – from
agricultural impacts to the destruction of its coastal ecosystems.
However, this small nation has taken big steps to reduce its
climate impact and to provide clean, renewable energy – as well
as opportunities for green economic growth – to its people.
Among other things, Barbados has pledged to increase the
share of renewable energy across the island to 29 per cent of all
electricity consumption by 2029. This would cut total electricity
costs by an estimated US$283.5 million and reduce CO2 emissions
by 4.5 million tonnes, according to the country’s government.
Barbados’s tourism sector, which contributes about 15 per cent of
the island’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and its sugar industry,
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climate monitoring systems in a dozen countries,
pushed greater appreciation of SIDS climate change
issues at the international policy level, and articulated
national climate change adaptation policies and plans
for 11 countries.
These are but a few examples of the collective
approach – what I call “SIDS Collectivity” – that in our
view, this group of nations must continue to take as it
interfaces with the international community.
On World Environment Day, we raise the collective
voices of SIDS, once again in calling for stronger
and more concrete political action and solutions to
enable us to realize a future not only of resilience, but
also of prosperity for our island nations. For, given
the interconnectedness of the planet, our prosperity
is also that of our neighbours in the developed and
developing world.
Our goal is to be heard loudly and clearly, maintaining
the place of Barbados firmly in the mainstream of the

discourse and action on the future of SIDS. Barbados will
proudly show the world our commitment to this process
as a nation.
I encourage everyone to join the Government of Barbados
as we celebrate 2014 as the International Year of Small
Island Developing States (SIDS) and World Environment
Day 2014.

Our goal is to be heard loudly and clearly,
maintaining the place of Barbados firmly in the
mainstream of the discourse and action on the
future of SIDS

which contributes about 2 per cent, could both be severely
affected by changing weather patterns.
In response to such threats, Barbados has made “Building a
Green Economy: Strengthening the Physical Infrastructure and
Preserving the Environment” one of six concrete goals built into
its National Strategic Plan (2006-2025).
The island’s reliance on imported fossil fuels has become one of
its major environmental concerns. The National Strategic Plan is
designed to ease this dependency by increasing the country’s

renewable energy supply, with a special focus on
raising the number of household solar water heaters
in Barbados. Solar water heaters are now a widely
used renewable energy technology on the island, with
installations in nearly half of the island’s dwelling units.
In 2002 alone, Barbados saved 15,000 tonnes of carbon
emissions and over US$100 million in energy savings
from the 35,000 solar hot water systems that had been
installed at the time.
More recently, the Barbadian government has
implemented several plans to further stimulate the
construction of solar water houses. For example, from
the US$5,000 allotted per year under the 2008 modified
Income Tax Allowance for Home Improvement, up to
US$1,000 can be used for energy audits.
Three Barbadian companies lead the installation and
manufacturing of solar water heaters on the island,
and they are already expanding the Caribbean market
potential in the nearby islands of Trinidad and St. Lucia.
Financial incentives for manufacturers, such as the
provision of low-interest loans, may further serve to
assist the diversification and growth of the solar water
heater industry.