Wild Tobago

  Dr Anjani Ganase considers the lessons learned from fossil fuels as we shift to renewables, and urges a shift from continuous growth to an ideal of wellbeing.   COP26 called for rapid transitions over the next decade to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 C for the benefit of humankind. But the need to transition our energy sources away from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives in the face of climate change brings different risks. And unless the lessons learnt from the rampant expansion and exploitations of the fossil fuels industry are not applied (through regulations) to the development of the renewable industry, we will continue to experience significant losses in biodiversity through habitat loss and degradation. Scientists have estimated that the Anthropocene – era of humankind - has produced the sixth mass extinction with a range of 150,000 – 260,000 species lost over the last 500 years which is about 100 - 1000 times higher than backgroun...

The Blue Economy defines the values and benefits to be derived sustainably from the ocean. In this introduction, Dr Anjani Ganase presents the outline for countries’ relationship with the ocean. In future features, she will expand what the blue economy should mean for Tobago and Trinidad. Humans have utilised aquatic and marine resources over centuries for food, water supply, extraction of materials and avenues of transport for trade and exploration. We have benefitted from the ocean as it moderates temperature and atmosphere and climate – it stores 90 % of our heat and 30 % of our carbon emissions. If we were to quantify the assets that we receive from the ocean (fisheries, coastal protection, tourism, carbon sequestration, transport etc.), the ocean would have Gross Marine Product (GMP) that would equate to some ~ 24 trillion USD (equivalent to the 7th highest economy in the world). Note that this value does not include the value of offshore oil and gas, nor does it include a va...