Islands in an Ocean at risk
The ocean is the source of food and recreation for the coastal populations of the world. Photo courtesy Pat Ganase On Tobago, few people live further than walking distance from a coast. A majority of the population derives its livelihood from the sea: whether it is indirectly through tourism, or directly from an occupation on the sea. People are also heavily dependent on transportation and supplies by sea – ferries from Trinidad – and energy sources – oil, gas, electricity – conveyed to the island by boat or undersea cable or pipeline. The west coast of Tobago is washed by the Caribbean Sea; the east coast by the Atlantic Ocean. The island is bathed by the Guiana current bringing seasonal outflow from South America’s mighty Orinoco river. This week, we look at some of the changes in the state of the ocean, and the likely effects on Tobago and its people. We also consider some of the things that communities might do to stop the decline. The principal source is the overvie...