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SUMMARY:Geothermal Challenges in Post-Disaster Montserrat
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260615T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260615T173000
DTSTAMP:20260608T005110Z
UID:8c78375c-5b3a-f111-88b4-6045bdfc3d0d
CREATED:20260417T124553Z
DESCRIPTION:The island of Montserrat\, a British Overseas Territory in the
  Caribbean\, has been interested in pursuing renewable energy since the 19
 70s\, but the Soufrière Hills volcanic crisis (1995 – 2010) generated n
 umerous setbacks. Despite these challenges\, with the support of the UK’
 s Department for International Development (DFID)\, three geothermal wells
  were drilled between 2013 and 2016\, followed by a decade of inactivity. 
 Based on 4.5 months of ethnographic and archival fieldwork on Montserrat\,
  including 107 semi-structured interviews and two UK focus groups with 34 
 participants from the Montserratian diaspora\, this talk will outline the 
 main social\, economic\, and political\, challenges to its energy transiti
 on. Community support for geothermal energy was widespread\, but approval 
 is conditional upon lower electricity bills\, equitable distribution of su
 bsurface wealth\, opportunities for capacity building\, and well-paid empl
 oyment for Montserratians. Participants called for transparency and trust\
 , noting that earlier geothermal initiatives faltered due to a lack of com
 munity engagement and fears over foreign ownership of subsurface resources
 . Montserratians hope for an economically prosperous island and a growing 
 population. While overcoming systemic barriers to renewable energy can hel
 p achieve this\, the process must engage the local population. Otherwise\,
  Montserrat risks being subjected to a ‘green grab’ or ‘decarbonisat
 ion by dispossession’.
LAST-MODIFIED:20260417T124653Z
LOCATION:Schwarzman Centre - Room 00.063\, Room 00.063 Schwarzman Centre R
 adcliffe Observatory Quarter\, Woodstock Road Oxford Oxfordshire OX2 6GG U
 nited Kingdom
SPEAKER:Dr Julio Rodriguez Stimson (Oxford)
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