Members of the youth environmental group Protect Our Future held a demonstration Friday outside the Government Administration Building to call for early implementation of goals set out in the islands’ National Energy Policy.
The group, in a press release Monday, said they had carried out the demonstration and presentation of letters to government to bring attention to the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy globally.
Cayman’s current National Energy Policy, adopted in 2017, aims for the islands to have 70% renewable energy by 2037. An updated draft of the policy, now under consideration by government, has outlined a plan to meet 100% of electricity demands from renewable sources by 2050, with the 2037 milestone being maintained in the new draft.
Cayman currently derives only 3% of its power from renewables.
Protect Our Future, in its press release, stated, “The point of the demonstration was to show how as a youth environmental organization, POF, stands by the plans and goals set out in the NEP, and is hoping to gain public support to achieve its goals as quickly as possible.
“Although the new energy policy is a major breakthrough for the Cayman Islands Government, without urgent changes in Cayman’s treatment of the environment, some of the goals that have been set may be too late.”
It added, “While there is plenty to worry about, the Cayman Islands is hoping to spearhead a movement that could potentially spread to other islands. The renewable energy movement may be larger than us, but if other countries see change, we believe that they will change too, however, only together can we protect the future of our planet.”
The group said the goals set out in the draft National Energy Policy could be achieved through various methods, including using previously developed land, such as parking lots and residential areas, to construct solar panels, as well as training people to work in renewable energy industries.
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Sad that so much energy is wasted on a non-issue.