The DSD Energy and Climate Change Mitigation (ECCM) Section supports efforts to accelerate the transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions throughout the Americas. ECCM strives to contribute to the region’s sustainable economic development by supporting the advancement of energy security, the reduction of energy costs, increased access to modern energy services, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions throughout the region.

The primary mission of the ECCM is to support the development and use of sustainable energy technologies and services within OAS member States. ECCM seeks to enable OAS member States to implement policies, laws, strategies, and actions for the advancement of sustainable energy geared towards meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own energy needs. The ECCM seeks to fulfill its mission by supporting the development and use of sustainable energy alternatives including clean fossil fuels, renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency, and increasing trans-boundary interconnections and regional cooperation by facilitating knowledge transfer, exchange of information and promotion of best practices.

Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) rises as Western Hemisphere Leaders recognized that clean energy is fundamental to the region’s sustainable development and the prosperity of our citizens. Committed to expanding cooperation for addressing the intertwined challenges of energy security and climate change to strengthening Inter-American collaboration on these issues, Heads of state throughout the Americas were invited to join ECPA at the Fifth Summit of the Americas held in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009. The mission of this Partnership is to contribute to the achievement of specific regional and national energy and climate change goals for the advancement of energy sustainability and low carbon economic growth and development, by fostering partnerships and collaborative mechanisms across the Americas.

The core vision of ECPA is based on the premise that its membership must join forces to achieve low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive policies that enhance human well-being, specifically through seven fundamental pillars: Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy; Cleaner and More Efficient Use of Fossil Fuels; Energy Infrastructure; Energy Poverty; Sustainable Forests and Land Use and Adaptation.

All ECPA initiatives aim to pursue: best policy practices promotion, urban and communal sustainability, code and standards development, clean energy deployment acceleration, deforestation and forest degradation, use of clean energy technologies to reduce both conventional pollution and fossil fuels carbon footprint and land use management best practices. There are currently 47 active initiatives in the region, focused on one or more of these fundamental pillars.

The Closed Looped Cycle Production in the Americas is an ECPA initiative focused on promoting, introducing and applying the concept of ‘Closed Looped Cycle Production’ to the productive sector of nations in the Americas. This new paradigm also known as the “cradle-to-cradle” design concept implies the development of industrial processes or of manufacturing in which materials utilized become valuable nutrients upon reaching the end of their useful life. The model of ‘Closed Looped Cycle Production’ does not only seek to rationalize the use of the materials and resources, but involves an important/fundamental focus in the design of products and services.

This means that using the proper design increases the potential for the product to be utilized again and re-enter the production cycle (technical or ecological cycle) and serve to devise a new product whose value is greater or comparable to the original one. In this manner the continuous extraction of commodities and resources (being generally energy intensive processes) is minimized, thus also improving the energy efficiency in the processes of manufacture. This process distinguishes itself from the traditional methods of recycling in which the residues are used for the creation of materials of lower aggregate value and/or for a secondary use.

The objective of Closed Looped Cycle Production is to introduce and showcase the viability and applicability of the C2C design method in the production sector of nations in the Americas as an innovative business development tool to mainly improve energy efficiency and environmental performance in the industrial sector and to increase the productivity, competitiveness and sustainability of businesses, in particular Small and Mediums size Enterprises (SMEs).

Small island developing states (SIDS) in the Caribbean face unique challenges associated with the generation and use of energy. Most Caribbean island-nations depend almost exclusively on imported petroleum for their energy needs, especially for electricity generation and transportation. This high level of dependence leaves these countries vulnerable to the volatile fluctuation of international oil prices and results in a tremendous drain on the capital available for imports. In addition, Caribbean islands are particularly vulnerable to the environmental impacts associated with fossil fuel consumption, such as sea level rise and the increased strength and frequency of hurricanes.

The Department of Sustainable Development within the Organization of American States (OAS/DSD) received financing from the European Union Energy Initiative (EUEI) in 2008 for the implementation of an action entitled “Increasing the Sustainability of the Energy Sector in the Caribbean through Improved Governance and Management”. The project is now operational under the title Caribbean Sustainable Energy Program (CSEP). CSEP is jointly implemented by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, the Caribbean Energy Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP).

CSEP’s primary objective is to facilitate the adoption of energy policies and legislation that address the market conditions for the development and use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency systems by mitigating current barriers to the use of such sources and systems in the seven project participant countries. Project Countries include: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, The Bahamas, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.