#TheBahamas – March 6, 2020 — In a segment of CBS’ 60 Minutes Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis said he is optimistic about the country’s green options and the ability of The Bahamas to show the world how to move forward after a devastating hurricane.
Prime Minister Minnis was featured on the Sunday 1
March edition of 60 Minutes, an investigative news magazine show that reaches
an average of 11 million viewers each week.
The segment examined the implementation of renewable
energy sources on islands like Ragged Island as an alternative to fossil fuels
in the face of ever stronger hurricanes resulting from the global climate
crisis.
“Let us show the world what can be done,” the Prime
Minister told 60 Minutes host Bill Whitaker. “We may be small, but we can set
an example to the world.”
Following Hurricane Irma in 2017, one of the ways
Prime Minister Minnis resolved to rebuild a more resilient Ragged Island was
through the use of microgrids or solar panels.
A microgrid would allow the island community to be disconnected
from the traditional BPL energy grid and operate autonomously. The $3 million microgrid
is now under construction and is being built to withstand winds of up to 180
mph, while providing clean, low-cost energy for the island’s residents.
The Prime Minister sees Ragged Island as a
laboratory for the country’s solar future.
A part of the segment also focused on residents and
second homeowners who are working to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Dorian
devastated parts of Abaco and Grand Bahama in September 2019.
A major part of the rebuilding effort focuses on
ensuring more secure electric power within the new reality of stronger and more
devastating hurricane seasons.
During the segment, Chris Burgess and Justin Locke
from the non-profit Rocky Mountain Institute shared plans to set up a microgrid
in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Dorian.
Within today’s global environment The Bahamas has no
other alternative but to adapt to the impact of climate change, said Prime
Minister Minnis. He said countries like The Bahamas will need the commitment of
those nations that contribute significantly to the global warming crisis,
because smaller nations cannot do it alone.
“We cannot afford it.,” said the Prime Minister. “We
recognized from day one, that we cannot do it alone. First world nations make
the greatest contribution to climate change. Even though our contribution to
climate change is minimal, we still have a responsibility to pursue more
energy-efficient options.”