, April 16 -- By Jake Hamstra

The Pacific's energy crisis isn't just economic - it's a geopolitical opening that outside powers will be competing to fill.

Spiking global oil prices and shipping insurance costs threaten to create a connectivity crisis for the Pacific Islands region. Higher fuel and freight rates will make shipping and aviation more expensive and less frequent, undermining the transport links that underpin trade, tourism and public services.

This will be felt in day-to-day life. Pacific economies rely heavily on imported fuel and long‑distance transport, with about 80% of their energy supply and most electricity generation coming from petroleum products. When oil and insurance costs rise, so do food and transport p...