57 Varieties
Islands come in all shapes and sizes, and with different resources. But some commonalities bind them together, which will be explored at SIDS4 next week.
Kiribati is an island nation comprising 32 atolls and one raised coral island, and it is considered one of the least developed countries in the world. It is in the Pacific Ocean.
Mauritius is an island nation comprising one large volcanic island and a few outlier islands, and is considered the most developed nation in Africa. It is in the Indian Ocean.
Suriname is a mainland nation in South America, a former Dutch colony, 90% of which is covered by rainforests. It abuts the Atlantic Ocean.
There is much different about the three countries, but what they share in common is that they are all members of SIDS — Small Island Developing States — a UN group that recognizes the unique threat posed to islands by a warming planet.
The 39 states (including two non-UN Member States, the Cook Islands and Niue) and 18 Associate Members (from Puerto Rico to Bermuda to French Polynesia) face existential threats, from extreme weather to rising sea levels, as well as economic and logistics obstacles because of their remote locations.
These 57 entities will meet next week (May 27-30) in Antigua and Barbuda for SIDS4, the fourth-ever convening of the SIDS group since the cohort was first recognized at the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Toward Resilient Prosperity
The purpose of SIDS4 is to “review SIDS’ sustainable development progress and propose a new decade of partnerships and solutions to supercharge their path to resilient prosperity.”
SIDS are the countries least responsible for climate change, but the ones that are most vulnerable to its negative impacts.
Blue Planet Alliance (BPA) will be in attendance in Antigua to meet with as many island representatives as possible, to help them recognize the advantages of transitioning to 100% renewable energy, as well as to see that it is not impossible to ditch dirty fossil fuels for clean energy.
BPA just concluded the second cohort of its Fellowship program in Hawaii earlier this month, in which 10 islands — all of them SIDS — attended a rigorous workshop, meeting the key stakeholders that helped Hawaii become the first U.S. state to legislatively mandate a transition to 100% renewable energy.
Now BPA is helping islands make the switch to 100% renewable energy, as well. Follow us on social media to read the latest updates about what is transpiring at SIDS4.
