by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ
“Treasure the environment and use it wisely. Preserve the environment as a legacy for the future… Environmental issues can no longer be regarded as a luxury…Government must partner with all stakeholders. If there are human-induced causes to the problems, there must be human-induced solutions…Trinidad and Tobago, as a responsible member of the international community, recognises the need to take domestic action…all citizens should Think Green.”
These words were uttered by the Minister of Housing and the Environment, Dr The Hon Roodal Moonilal, at the first National Conference on Environmental Management which took place at UWI on Tuesday, January 18.
Since Stewardship of God’s Creation is a key social justice principle CCSJ seeks to promote, I took advantage of the invitation to attend/participate in the conference. I was pleased to hear about some of the initiatives in which his Ministry is involved.
A legal notice is about to be published regarding the Green Fund. NGOs and Statutory Bodies involved in environmental work will be able to access the TT $2 billion or so from the Green Fund. Strict rules will protect the integrity of the fund to ensure it is used for the purposes for which it was established.
As the UN Environmental Programme website states: “The Green Fund was established by the Finance Act 2000. This Act introduced a 0.1 percent tax – the Green Fund Levy – on the gross sales or receipts of all companies conducting business in Trinidad and Tobago, payable at the end of each quarter. The purpose of the Fund is to enable grants to be made to community groups and organizations engaged in activities to remediate, reforest, and conserve the environment.”
Also to be launched at the end of January is a pilot project in specific areas in T&T as part of the “Green Housing” thrust – focussing on “solar street lighting, solar heating, and architectural designs incorporating green elements”. A wind turbine farm is to be established to power one of the Government’s housing developments.
The Minister estimates that currently “15 to 20 million containers a month pollute our environment, clog drains and waterways…and contribute to widespread flooding.” A “significant step to the solution of (this) most critical environmental issue in this country” will be the Beverage Container Bill, which he hopes will be approved in Parliament soon. A refund incentives programme will enable people who collect and return containers to be receive refunds. Recycling will also be promoted.
Minister Vasant Bharath acknowledged the need for Trinidad and Tobago to reduce our carbon footprint and to reduce our food import bill, which, over the past three years, has been about TT $4 billion annually. He shared information about projects such as the On-farm Ponds Project.
Prof Clement Sankat referred to the recent floods in parts of the world. “These are the many effects of climate change and global warming,” he said. He urged us to build food security for T&T by putting food and agriculture “centre stage in this whole sustainable development and environmental agenda.”
Prof Kenneth Ramchand urged the Government to have the Planning and Development of Land Bill proclaimed and enforced “to protect Trinidad &Tobago’s biodiversity, to properly manage our natural resources, and so that development can take place in a coherent and sustainable manner…” He referred to the amendment of legislation in 2001 which, he said, “was a blank cheque to quarry operators…this was dust in the fact of the people of T&T. The whole island is a quarry.” He graphically described T&T as “a major carbon dioxide bandit – for its size.”
The latter two speakers recognise the need for our universities to marshall research resources to explore alternative energy sources.
I attended the workshops on Land Management and Environmental Justice. I look forward to the production of a Conference Report as the issues raised are of national interest. The passion displayed by environmental activists during the day was a sign of hope that many are concerned about effective environmental management.
I end with the words of Pope Benedict XVI, Charity in Truth: “The environment is God’s gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole.”
