The blueprint for energy sovereignty: what the world can learn from small island states

By H.E. Theon Ali, Ambassador-designate of Antigua and Barbuda to the State of Qatar and Deputy Head of Mission to the UAE

The global energy conversation, so often focused on the scale of major economies, continues to overlook its most critical classrooms: small island developing states. While nations debate transition timelines in conference halls, we are graded daily by the climate crisis. In Antigua and Barbuda, our near-total dependence on imported diesel is a symptom of a larger issue, a system that forces us into a cycle of debt to power our countries, even as we bear the least responsibility for the emissions that threaten our existence.

This cycle is breaking us. The recent devastation of Hurricane Melissa is not an anomaly; it is a preview of the accelerating costs of inaction. It underscores the brutal calculus we face: the cost of rebuilding from climate impacts, measured in shattered infrastructure and livelihoods, now catastrophically outweighs the cost of a just energy transition.

Our national targets, 100% renewable energy for our power sector by 2030 and for transport by 2040, are therefore our blueprint for survival and sovereignty. They are a practical necessity.

However, we cannot build this future on a broken model of perpetual debt. The existing framework of loans is a trap that deepens our vulnerability. As we look towards COP30, the international community must embrace a new model based on climate justice. This means moving beyond debt-inducing instruments to include grants, concessional funding, and risk-sharing mechanisms that recognise our disproportionate burden. This is not a request for aid, but a call for fairness - an investment in global stability.

This is the critical message we bring to ADIPEC. Our presence here is a statement: we are not passive victims but proactive architects of our future. To enable this transition, we are actively improving our domestic regulatory environment, creating a stable and streamlined framework for genuine partnership.

The energy leaders and technology innovators gathered at ADIPEC possess the capital and expertise to make this vision a reality. We are not simply asking for investment; we are inviting a new form of collaboration. Partnering with us is a strategic opportunity to prove that resilient, renewable systems can be built to withstand the hurricanes of today and power the world of tomorrow. The knowledge gained here in our island laboratories, in balancing grids with high renewable penetration and hardening infrastructure against extreme weather, is invaluable intellectual property for a climate-disrupted world.

Our blueprint is drawn. The question for the leaders at ADIPEC, and for governments ahead of COP30, is whether they will provide the fair tools and partnerships needed to bring it to life. The success of our energy transition is a test case for global climate justice. By investing in our sovereignty, you are investing in a viable, resilient future for all.