Wild Tobago

Anjani Ganase visits Jamaica and considers their proactive approach to building resilience. She finds solutions in reducing plastic waste, diversifying energy sources but also diversifying administration of resources.   Jamaica has long been a tourism destination making the most of natural features like Blue Hole, photo by Anjani Ganase Jamaica is a major importer of oil and gas. However, the global economic crisis and the urgency of response needed for climate change have pushed Jamaica to develop a more resilient energy system, one that will withstand political crisis as well as natural disaster.   Their National Renewable Energy Policy (2009) focussed on energy conservation and diversification aims for 20 % renewables by 2030. Since 2020 Jamaica is relying on renewables to support 12 % of the national power demand – specifically 3 % hydroelectric, 6 % wind, 3 % solar. The rest of the energy system comes from clean natural gas (supplied by Trinidad...

The tide is turning from fossil fuels to renewables. Will we catch the wave at the crest, or be caught in the undertow. Dr Anjani Ganase makes the case for Trinidad and Tobago to be in the forefront of renewables. Trinidad and Tobago, like many countries around the world, is largely dependent on fossil fuels as its source of energy; but unlike many countries, we also rely on fossil fuels to drive our economy. For two generations, about 50 years, oil and gas supported our economy and this source of energy also seeded employment and innovation in the fossil fuel technology that has resulted in the successful liquid natural gas (LNG) driven economy over the recent 20 years. Today, LNG is still the biggest earner for Trinidad and Tobago. T&T is, therefore, in an especially vulnerable position, as the world is forced to consider a future of alternative energy sources to save our planet and us from the devastation of climate change. The true cost of burning gr...

Imagine! Our emerald isles, green and serene. Tobago – unspoilt, undiscovered, untouched - remains the beacon of what our two islands can become again. So what lies beyond Petrotrin, beyond the stink of oil and gas? What is on the blue horizon for Tobago and Trinidad? Dr Anjani Ganase, marine scientist, explores the way to our future with information taken from the IPCC assessment report 5. It is clear, according to the last report from the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), we need to make changes as quickly as possible. As our lifestyles continue to advance, our energy consumption is expected to more than double from 2010 in 2050 unless we drastically reduce greenhouse gas emission. Climate change has already resulted in scorched landscapes.  Island nations are drowning, adding climate refugees to the caravans. Coral reefs are decimated worldwide. We cannot imagine what life would be like in 2050 if we continue business as usual. Fortunately, scientists have...

CLIMATE CHANGE CAN BRING CHANGES FOR THE BETTER Climate change seems too big a problem for “me one” to take on. Isn’t this something the government is supposed to deal with? Something that the big countries like China and India must tackle? Ruben Smith says that climate change is all of the above. But he argues that small communities must be alert to the opportunities. He is hoping that the newly appointed members of the Tobago House of Assembly will meet the challenges for that island. This feature was first published in the Tobago Newsday on May 18, 2017 Opportunities for changes come with climate change: the sun is always on as a source of energy! Photo Pat Ganase What does climate change mean? In very simple terms, global warming results from the release of greenhouse gases – such as carbon dioxide and monoxide, sulphur oxides, and other gases – creates a greenhouse effect, trapping heat in the atmosphere. At the same time, the growing population of the e...