Sustainable development in the Caribbean

Sustainable development is a leading Global trend. The definition of sustainable development is: The most frequently quoted definition is from the Brundtland Report:

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

It is about the three P’s: Planet. People and Profit. The perception might be the Caribbean SIDS are doing a lot in this area. In practice, this is not the case. Only Bonaire has adopted the concept and is striving for sustainable development. The last couple of years Aruba is driving through a green energy policy. On the other Caribbean islands this is not the case, despite the hard work of some NGO’s. The priory of the governments is on economic development and growth even at the expense of the environment or the population of the islands. Even publications on the subject are rare. This is odd given the uniqueness of the ecosystems, for example, the reefs and the fact that these islands will be severely impacted by climate change. On the other hand, given their condition as SIDS this is understandable.