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Publication Metadata only Turning the Tide: Climate Change, Social Change, & Islandness(Island Studies Press at UPEI, 2026-02-15)This collection of essays from islanders around the globe offers a complex understanding of the intersections of climate change and social change on islands. How are the effects of climate change and catastrophic weather experienced and narrated by islanders? What stories need to be told? How do local, traditional, and Indigenous knowledge practices facilitate the capacity to improvise, innovate, and adapt to volatile weather events? How do social relations on climate stressed islands continue to flourish? How do governance structures and issues of sovereignty support and/or inhibit climate and social justice? This interdisciplinary approach foregrounds island storytellers as they convey worldviews, knowledge, and cultural values, beliefs, and emotions that are often missing from climate change discourses.Publication Metadata only Keynote address. Innovative Sustainable Solutions for Island Communities: Integrating Technology and Nature(2025-12-12)Small tropical island like Aruba have long been living with the food, energy, and water challenges the rest of the world is expected to face in coming decades. This keynote frames islands as climate-smart “living labs” that can show the way by integrating technology and nature. Through an energy–water–food nexus lens, it highlights practical pathways: renewable energy and efficiency, resilient water supply and reuse, circular valorization of waste streams, and nature-based protection of coastal and freshwater systems, supported by partnerships, skills development, and innovative finance to scale impact. The SISSTEM program at the University of Aruba is used an example of one of the pathways forward.Publication Open Access From Brine to Resource: Closing the Water Loop for Small Islands(University of South Florida, 2025-11-18)Publication Metadata only From waste to value: exploring magnesium recovery from desalination brines as a circular economy enabler in small island states(Elsevier, 2025-11-18)Desalination is an essential part of the water security puzzle in small island states, and is evident in the Caribbean where desalination usage continues to grow. Desalination technology brings with it production of brines which are often considered a waste stream of the process. This research focuses on the possibilities of valorization of RO brines, including the selective recovery of magnesium as a strategy to reduce environmental impact and enable new value chains linked to decarbonization. The study combines modeling and process integration assessments. Magnesium can be recovered as Mg(OH)₂ and further processed to MgCl₂ suitable for industrial applications. Recovery is achieved through pH-controlled precipitation supported by membrane concentration and renewable-powered systems. The process can also be coupled to an electrochemical process to enable co-production of pure magnesium metal, caustic soda, chlorine, or hydrogen. A case study for Aruba shows that co-locating the system with existing desalination and energy infrastructure can reduce environmental impacts while generating new economic opportunities. The modular design allows adaptation to other coastal or island contexts. This work supports the transition from linear desalination systems to circular, multi-output platforms that contribute to local sustainability and resilience.Publication Metadata only Finanzas Azules para la Restauración Marino-Costera (Panel)(2025-10-01)The contribution in this panel emphasized the need to innovate climate-finance mechanisms beyond conventional 'green' and 'blue' bonds to better fund high-impact, locally grounded solutions. I highlighted the potential to adapt the concepts of Development Impact Bonds, layering outcome-based payments, blended capital, and risk-sharing, thus improving bankability and scale for climate projects. I also argued for financing models that build trust in SMEs and entrepreneurs, including sustainability-focused microcredit institutions (e.g., Qredits) that can combine tailored lending, technical assistance, and credible sustainability criteria to accelerate adoption and measurable climate outcomes.
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