US Vice President Kamala Harris’s Special Advisor for the Western Hemisphere, Joseph Salazar, and Deputy Director for the Western Hemisphere Affairs Office of Caribbean Affairs, Michael Taylor, visited Trinidad and Tobago from March 14-16 to advance diplomatic engagement on the US-Caribbean Partnership to address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC2030). PACC2030 is the US government’s flagship partnership with the Caribbean to advance climate adaptation and resilience and clean energy cooperation through 2030 as the United States works towards meeting the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Vice President Harris launched the partnership during the Summit of the Americas in June 2022.
During the visit, Salazar and Taylor met with Minister of Energy and Energy Industries Stuart Young, Minister of Planning and Development Pennelope Beckles, and specialists from the respective ministries. They also met with stakeholders in the energy and private sector, including representatives from the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago, Proman Trinidad and Tobago, BPTT, Shell, Atlantic LNG, AMCHAM T&T, the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, and international partners including the European Union, the UK High Commission, the InterAmerican Development Bank, CAF, the Atlantic Council, and the United Nations Development Program.
Salazar and Taylor heard from Decarbonization Task Force Chairman Dr. Dale Ramlakhan about his experience visiting three U.S. cities for the Climate and Energy Innovation in the Caribbean International Visitor Leadership Program along with Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries’ Renewables Division Senior Sustainable Energy Development Analyst Hannibal Anyika.
Ambassador Candace Bond said the visit and discussions were very fruitful and underscored the commitment of the United States to working with Trinidad and Tobago as a regional leader in energy security and to advance shared carbon emissions reduction goals.
