Vision of Caribbean as leader in science and technology

A consultant to the White House Office of Science and Technology believes Barbados and the rest of the region can lead the world in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).

However, said the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Media, Dr Jose Morey, this can only be achieved through greater unity.

Morey, who also served as a consultant to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), said given the Caribbean’s geographic location, plans should be put in place to lead future trips to and from space.

“We can have space commerce to and from. This will be greater than the Internet. There is no reason we cannot, together, be harnessing our ingenuity and be the drivers of the future economies,” he said.

Morey was the guest speaker during the recent official opening of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)-led Pivot Event, which brought together innovators and other stakeholders from the region to consider exponential ideas in the areas of electric mobility, digital transformation and tourism.

It is hoped that the ideas generated during the two-week forum would be used in the creation of a plan for the region for the next decade.

Morey said he believed the Caribbean could become a leader in the areas of robotics, quantum computing, genetic engineering, space exploration and hyperloop and autonomous systems.

“These things aren’t science fiction. These things are here now, and if we can come together, from the Bahamas to Barbados, to Cuba to Puerto Rico, if we can combine what we have and pour that into beyond just our singular problem, then we can pivot to the future and turn the Caribbean sea into a sea of innovation that will inspire the dreams of all people in the world,” he said.

“It takes everyone together to be able to come together and create the future world . . . It is not going be just Prime Minister [Mia] Mottley, it is not going to be just the IADB and leaders . . . it is going to take all of those, and innovators; not individual islands focusing on individual problems but a future of a unified region. A region that is pivoting beyond one person, beyond one nation, and a region that is pivoting to a regional mindset.”

He added that through unity, the Caribbean should also be able to address longstanding issues of regional transportation, drought, rising sea levels and other climate change-related challenges.

General Manager of IADB Caribbean Therese Turner-Jones also issued a call for Caribbean leaders and citizens to work together to develop the region and solve its challenges.

She said the COVID-19 pandemic should serve as a reminder of the need for urgent change in several areas to achieve sustainability.

“We have known for some time that in order to survive, the Caribbean must change. The present crisis reminds us of this urgent reality. But our change, our pivot, must be coordinated and focused for it to be effective,” said Turner-Jones.

“Creating a resilient and sustainable future for the Caribbean is not the job of any one person or institution, we are all responsible for achieving this reality tougher.

“Every idea we develop together in this event should take us closer to climate, social and economic resilience. Your ideas should also be developed in the context of international opportunities and partnerships,” Turner-Jones added.

Meanwhile, philanthropist and business magnate Sir Richard Branson issued a call for greater emphasis on the urgent expansion of the renewable energy sector in the region.

The climate change solution advocate said it was time to cut the region’s dependency on fossil fuel.

“What we do now will determine what kind of world we will pass on to our children and grandchildren. Right here, right now, with the greatest renewable resources our planet has to offer, we have an opportunity to choose a better way; to create a climate-smart region so the rest of the world can follow to grow a resilient economy fueled by clean energy,” he said.

Sir Richard advised businesses not to be afraid to take risk, even as they continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that while there was a lot of talk globally “about building back better, there isn’t any reason at all the Caribbean and its wonderful people can’t be leaders from the front”.