At a time when global energy markets are increasingly unpredictable, countries across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are feeling the strain. For many Caribbean states in particular, vulnerability to oil price shocks is not accidental, it is deeply structural. Heavy reliance on imported petroleum continues to drive up foreign exchange demand, fuel inflation, and place immense pressure on already stretched public finances. These realities undermine long-term development and expose a critical weakness in the region’s economic architecture.