The 'existential crisis' of climate change, its impact on Caribbean countries, and possible ways ahead will be hot topics on the agenda at the online discussion event, A Future We Can Live With, at this weekend's 2022 NGC Bocas Lit Fest.
On May 1 at 6.30 pm Trinidad and Tobago's festival of words, stories, and ideas will assemble a panel of experts and activists to imagine a future path for the Caribbean that's both practical and sustainable, in the face of climate upheaval, a media release said. Part of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest's long-running Big Idea debate series, the event is presented in partnership with The Cropper Foundation, the TT-based NGO which works to shape development policy in balance with ecological concerns, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction, the release said.
A Future We Can Live With brings together Jamaican activist, writer, and filmmaker Esther Figueroa, Trinidadian activist and disruptor Gillian Goddard - founder of the Alliance of Rural Communities of TT - and Trinidadian climate consultant Ryan Assiu. Omar Mohammed, CEO of the Cropper Foundation, will chair the discussion.
'For almost 22 years, the foundation has worked to advance a uniquely Caribbean sustainability agenda, driven by Caribbean knowledge and talent,' Mohammed said in the release. 'There's no more urgent agenda than the region's response to climate change, and so this conversation aims to bring together the science, the culture, and the history of the Caribbean to tackle this Big Idea.'
Caribbean small island states are on the frontlines of climate change, with projected effects ranging from sea-level rise submerging coastal communities to worsening storms and dying coral reefs. And in countries with fossil energy-based economies - like TT, and now Guyana - economic development will have to contend with global net-zero carbon goals, the release said.
The National Gas Company (NGC), the festival's title sponsor, is one major energy-sector player facing up to this challenge, with a 'Green Agenda - exploring exciting ventures and partnerships around renewable energy technologies and fuels, energy efficiency, food security, and environmental and socioeconomic sustainability.'
The Big Idea: A Future We Can Live With is part of the 2022 NGC Bocas Lit Fest's Four Days to Change the World, a programme of events tackling questions and ideas of change in all spheres. The festival - entirely virtual and online again this year - runs from April 28-May 1, with events streamed via bocaslitfest.com and on YouTube and Facebook. All festival sessions are free, and require no registration, the release said.
After the festival weekend, all events will be available to watch on demand for a limited time at youtube.com/bocaslitfest. The full schedule of events is available online at bocaslitfest.com.
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