Langlais: Environment, energy solutions requires political will

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Marie Claire Langlais, #14 on the NOW (Nation Opportunity Wealth) party list, pointed out over the weekend that the island faces unprecedented challenges in the midst of a global climate crisis, and that the environment should not be an empty election talking point. Additionally, she stressed that being realistic about sustainable energy solutions requires political will.

Langlais asserts that St. Maarten, like the rest of the Caribbean region, caught between big oil corporations and progressive alternative energy solution companies. “The ongoing power plant outages on our island are a symptom of a much larger problem affecting other islands relying on fossil fuel-powered generators. These recurrent failures, persisting for years, underscore the urgent need for a drastic shift in our energy sources,” she said.

“The current power plant failures are proof that our source of energy drastically needs to be changed,” Langlais emphasizes. “We must collectively stand in solidarity with those fighting to lower our island’s and our planet’s carbon footprint. If we don’t make the necessary effort to switch to cleaner, sustainable energy, what is to come will make the GEBE crisis feel like a walk in the park.”

Langlais cautions against reinvesting in oil generators and fossil fuel technologies, which may offer a temporary return to normalcy but ultimately lead to more severe consequences. “Now is the time to move forward in a new direction, into a brighter direction of a sustainable fossil fuel-free future.”

She urges the public to be vigilant and informed about the ramifications of not making this essential switch to sustainable energy. “The NOW party manifesto provides plan to tackle our current energy crisis head-on, advocating for the creation and enforcement of laws needed to implement these changes. Our leader already had a plan on the table with waste to energy. We have to be realistic about our future. We should have been realistic a long time ago,” she said.

She also said the empty talk about the environment on St. Maarten must stop. “We keep talking about the environment as a simple election talking point. We have environmental issues plaguing St. Maarten daily, including the landfill, oil leaks, and the dumping of raw sewage into the sea,” she said.

“We must remember that we are part of a global network that collectively shares the same planetary fate,” Langlais states, adding that dealing with more powerful hurricanes might be just the start. “Many countries are now actively beginning to make the change to sustainable living, and we must join them. This is the only solution to securing a problem-free future for us all.”

On August 19th, 2024, Marie Claire Langlais calls upon the citizens of St. Maarten to run to the polls and vote for change, action, and brighter days ahead with the NOW party. She urged the public to read her party’s manifesto for more information.