Small Island Developing States (SIDS) & energy aid: Impacts on the energy sector in the Caribbean and Pacific

This paper suggests that while imported finance and energy have been crucial to the past development of SIDS, the extent of reliance upon external financial assistance and energy imports at present is a cause for concern not only due to long term energy security issues but also because of the climate change implications of fossil fuel use. The concern is also pressing within the context of long term debt accumulation. It is argued herein that closer attention should be paid to local capacity building, training and institutional strengthening to enable a transition to renewable energy in place of fossil fuel based power. In terms of long term resilience such capacity building could eventually include the means for the production of renewable energy technology components.