CANCELLED: The Quest for Energy Alternatives and Sustainable Development in post-1959 Cuba

‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ is the usual explanation for Cuba’s focus on renewable energies and sustainable development in the post-Soviet era, culminating in the Energy Revolution from 2005. However, the ‘simple expediency’ explanation disregards the research of Cuban scientists in this area from the late 1960s onwards, despite Soviet oil imports, which created the technical and institutional basis for subsequent progress. It also overlooks a historical policy commitment to energy and environmental issues based on ideological principles, not just economic expediency. Post-1959 Cuban development must be understood within the framework of a centrally-planned socialist economy. This presentation will discuss the history of research into renewable energies and sustainable development in Cuba and the political economy framework within which it took place.