TIGblogs TIG | TIGblogs GROUP TIGBLOGS LOGIN SIGNUP
Bahamas Blog International
Bahamas Blog International
Bahamian Environmentalist: No to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)... Yes to Renewable Energy
Related to country: Bahamas

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

ReEarth says no to LNG, yes to renewable energy:
By JIMENITA SWAIN, Guardian Senior Reporter -
Nassau, Bahamas:




The country's energy problems can be reduced if The Bahamas takes advantage of renewable energy technology and move away from the Liquefied Natural Gas pipeline proposal, a local environmentalist said yesterday.

LNG has been heralded as an option to reducing oil cost.

ReEarth director, Sam Duncombe, told The Nassau Guardian in a telephone interview, "We need to tell the LNG companies to go somewhere else."

She compared renewable energy technology to the industrial revolution of today and called on Bahamians to take advantage of it.

"It makes absolute sense that we need to start investigating those issues in terms of what is going to work for us," she added.

A recent article in The Economist of June 21, 2008 supported that point in a special report on the future of energy.

"The technology has gotten to the point where it can work for us on a large scale, but even on a small scale it can work and it needs to happen," she stressed.

The ReEarth director attended last week's Caribbean Regional Sustainable Energy Conference. She sent a message to Aaron Samson of AES Corp. who she said has been promoting that LNG could lower energy costs, through a transition to natural gas, instead of oil.

"That logic is tantamount to trying to wean a cocaine addict by addicting them to heroin," she said. "Thanks, but no thanks Mr. Samson. Natural gas addiction is no solution for our current or future energy problems."

She said the lesson she walked away with after the conference was, "The way forward for producing energy, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, keeping millions of dollars in the country, lowering our energy bills, creating new jobs, protecting the environment from global warming green houses gasses, is to dive straight into the renewable energy market, not LNG, not coal, not oil."

A number of speakers at the energy conference reiterated the view shared by Duncombe, that technology was no longer an issue, and that solar, wind, bio-fuels, tidal power were all proven technologies that could meet The Bahamas' energy needs.

On July 7, 2007 ReEarth joined two billion viewers for the Live Earth concert — the brain child of former U.S. Vice President Al Gore — and called on Bahamians to purchase compact fluorescent bulbs to help lower their energy costs, and reduce the amount of global warming gasses entering the atmosphere.

She also called on the government to consider providing soft loans for consumers to be able to install solar water heaters, to help reduce their energy bills. BEC should also start the process of weaning The Bahamas from fossil fuels, Duncombe added.

Minister of Environment Earl Deveaux said in his address — which ReEarth supported — that The Bahamas could reduce its fuel import bill by $11 million per annum, simply by converting to compact fluorescent bulbs and solar water heaters.

Duncombe called on the government to follow New Zealand's lead by forbidding any future fossil fuel based projects.

She said the government "must now officially turn away the LNG proposal put forward by AES and any others that may be lurking in the shadows; they should extricate The Bahamas from all oil exploration licenses; then they must make compact fluorescent lights and solar water heaters duty free.

"We need to start moving. Everyday we delay, we affect future generations."

July 31, 2008 | 5:36 PM Comments  0 comments

You must be logged in to add tags.


Dennis Dames's Profile


Latest Posts
The Bahamas:...
The Kennedy...
Grenada, we mourn -...
The Bahamas:...
Alfonso Quinonez -...

Monthly Archive
December 1969
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012
March 2012
April 2012
May 2012

Change Language


Tags Archive
america american bahamas barack caribbean crime crisis cuba cuban democracy development economic economy global haiti health history ict4d individualeconomy international investment obama people political revolution trade war washington world

Links
A+ Links Int'l
Affiliate Marketplace
Bahamas Dames
Bahamas Political Blog
Bahamas Search
Bahamian Phone Cards
Blog Directory
Blog Directory
Blogadr
BlogExplosion
Caribbean Blog International
Cheap Int'l Calling Cards
Crooks Blog
DAD's Matchmaking Online
Dating Network
Dennis Dames Hotels...
Dennis Dames Online...
Dennis Dames Pages Online
Find me on Bloggers.com
Free Paid Web Directory
LS Blogs
Politics Blogs
Top Web Blogs
Vote For Me
Woo Love Poems Menu


2879392 views
Important Disclaimer