?Climate change is rapidly moving up the international agenda. Politicians globally recognise that as the debate shifts its focus to environmental security, opportunities will emerge in regions such as the Caribbean to encourage international support for new policies on the economy, energy, investment and in other areas?.

So said Lord Ffoulkes, President of the Caribbean-Britain Business Council (CBBC) and a former British Development Minister when announcing in London that up to 150 participants from Caribbean Governments, the private sector and the academic world are expected to participate in the 2nd UK/Caribbean Business Forum on June 8^th at the Trinidad Hilton.

Among the featured list of presenters will be the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, the Hon Patrick Manning and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, the Hon Anthony Hylton. Others participating as speakers and panellists include; Dimitri Zenghelis, Lead Author from the Stern Review Team ; Dr Kenrick Leslie, Executive Director, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre; Bert Brown, Managing Director, SGS Supervise; and Juan Pablo Bonilla, SECCI Co-ordinator, Inter-American Development Bank.

The conference will address threats and opportunities to Caribbean business & industry; alternative sources of energy and energy security; climate change and the Caribbean insurance market; new challenges for tourism; and developing carbon trading platforms and certification systems in the Caribbean.

Attendance is open to the Caribbean and UK private sector and other key stakeholders with an interest in practical responses to climate change. There is no charge for attending.

The conference will bring together private sector experts and participants from the Caribbean and UK to consider not only the threats posed by climate change, but also how a low carbon emitting, environmentally-friendly location can harness new economic opportunities arising. It will focus on four key areas:-

• Alternative sources of energy and energy security

• Climate change and the Caribbean insurance market

• New challenges for tourism

The conference, which is receiving a great deal of interest from the Caribbean private sector, is intended to demonstrate the threats posed by climate change and the commercial opportunities which, if seized, can reinforce the Caribbean?s positive environmental image.

Contact Details:

UK

Stephanie Whittle

Caribbean Britain Business Council

Stephanie.whittle@caribbean-council.org

+44 (0) 20 7235 9484

Caribbean

Carol Ayoung

Chief Executive Officer

Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce

+1 868 622 1148