Asia-Pacific, Climate Change, Energy, Latin America & the Caribbean, International Trade & Finance Renewables and Energy Transitions in Small Island States

The International Institute for Sustainable Development's SDG Knowledge Hub has published the first of a series of thought pieces from our 2022 Global Shifts Colloquium, 'Islands on the Climate Front Line: Risk and Resilience.

The vast majority of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are net energy importers of fossil fuels and have historically been so (Timilsina & Shah, 2016; Niles & Lloyd, 2013). Being heavily economically indebted, fuel importation takes a decisive toll on national budgets – for example, Palau (28% of GDP), Guyana (21%) and Maldives (19%) (2013 data, Raghoo et al., 2018). The main energy utilization continues to be power generation and transportation sectors. Many islands with tourism and hospitality dependent economies require high energy intensities to sustain these industries and others such as manufacturing and agriculture.

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