Young people who attended Trinidad and Tobago's first Youth Forum on Climate Change on November 5, say they are anxious to do their part in their schools and community to protect the environment.The Youth Forum on Climate Change, the first of its kind to be held in Trinidad and Tobago and in the English-speaking Caribbean, was organised and hosted by the three-year-old Earth Conscious magazine, a Web-based publication.Earth Conscious magazine editor, Linda Hutchinson-Jafar, said young people needed to get involved in all levels of the environment/climate change debate since they were the ones who would be most affected by it during their adult lifetime.
The Forum received support from the British High Commission, the German Embassy, bpTT, National Gas Company, Atlantic and the Ministry of Housing and the Environment.In response to a call from Minister of Housing and the Environment Dr Roodal Moonilal to the forum to submit three projects out of their discussions for possible funding, the organisers delivered six project ideas to the Government for selection of the final three for possible development and funding.
The project ideas are:
• A nationwide art competition with the theme "Climate Change".
• A climate change/green/environment award in cultural events.
• National programme prompting backyard farming or grow-box farming.
• National recycling and separation of waste by household.
• Establishment of an analysis unit to acquire data on the changing national landscape.
• Project EduXchange (a Web-based project for schools).
The project ideas were developed as a direct result of discussions in three break-out sessions on Communities in Action, Creative Arts and Communications and Technology (ICT).Anella Monique Balchan, a Lower Six student of the Iere High School in Siparia said the youth forum on climate change held at the Hyatt Regency on November 5, enlightened her on some of the valuable aspects of the environment."The main reason I saw it fit to attend this forum was because I am immensely intrigued by the various ways and solutions I could possibly make a change in Trinidad and Tobago.
"I wanted to learn more about the effects and consequences of climatic change and moreover, do something about it."Yes, some people hear 'climate change' and they immediately ignore it. People don't take action for some things unless it harms them. For example, people think about flooding like it's a trivial matter and when it affects them directly then they want to take action.
"I got a great amount of information and I want to use that to my greatest abilities and share it with each and every one of my fellow schoolmates, and tell them that we can make a great difference if we start one day at a time."And I really do hope that a future forum similar to this one could be possible in other Caribbean countries and islands," she said.Rana Sundar, another student from Iere High School said she attended the youth forum because of her passion about the environment and her desire to help preserve and protect it, and saw the youth forum as a way to do that. "I wanted to know more about climate change, its effects on the Caribbean and ways to make climate change more known to other people.
"What I got out of the youth forum was many ways in which I can make climate change more aware to everyone else which is important so people can know the effects their activities are having on the environment and on themselves, and ways they can control climate change."I plan to use the information I gained to make climate change more known in my school and in my community," she added.
Crystal Edwards, one of the many delegates from Tobago, attended the forum because she has always been a passionate supporter of research and measures put in place to assist in this fight against climate change."I also wanted the chance to let the voice of Tobagonians be heard from a non-governmental, statistical and NGO perspective. My belief in the youth of Trinidad and Tobago was revitalised and I was reminded that I am not alone in this fight against climate change. Though the specific problem varied, the cause remained the same. This forum gave us the opportunity to realise that a united front is more effective than a couple 'lil ones."
Keston Perry, a postgraduate student in International Relations, University of the West Indies, said he attended the forum because of his keen interest on this issue as a global phenomenon, and its impact on Caribbean states, especially Trinidad and Tobago."I have previously participated in forums addressing the issue of climate change and these discussions are very contentious especially given the divergence between the developing and developed country."As a developing small island nation with an oil and gas economy, Trinidad and Tobago should be particularly concerned about climate change first given its contribution to CO2 emissions and industrialisation efforts leveraging the energy sector, and further afield the transformation of the global economy towards cleaner technologies and alternative energy though the latter may not happen very quickly.
"Secondly, the impact on our ecosystem, our livelihoods and people in particular are serious, with the drought we faced a few years ago, the unpredictable changes in weather patterns and natural disasters like flooding. Too often, we believe we are immune to hurricanes and other natural occurrences, and unfortunately it will only take such an occurrence to wake us to properly address this issue. The Climate Change Policy according to the minister exists but the public has no access to its contents.
"I was able to discuss maturely and soberly this very important issue with knowledgeable and like-minded youth who want to make a difference. The forum also provided the opportunity for us to network, and devise some creative measures to actively address the issue."Karysse Clifton, currently in her final year at UWI pursuing a BSc Major in Environmental and Natural Resource Management and a Minor in Communications in Extension, said she attended the forum because she wanted to make a difference in Trinidad and Tobago.
"I want to make people aware of the effects their daily life has on the environment and what they can do about it. Young people are the next generation. It is our responsibility to educate each other to mitigate and adapt to the irreversible damage climate change can cause."I learned that we have a say, we have a voice in Trinidad and Tobago. Change begins with ourself. Most of us are still in school or have just left school. Our minds are fresh with ideas and techniques to reduce climate change. I learnt that the Government is open to hearing our solutions and issues and are here to help us."
Daveanna Wiltshire, a 17-year-old student from Bishop Anstey and Trinity College East Sixth Form said she attended the forum because she would like to go into the environmental field and was interested in what was happening in Trinidad and Tobago on the environment front."One thing that really stuck with me from the forum is that climate change starts small. You can start becoming sustainable as a small group; maybe family or friends and start with the small things like taking off lights when they are not in use, try to plant kitchen gardens, take off water when in use, etc.
"Also, there is a lot of work to get done in order for Trinidad and Tobago to become a sustainable country and the first thing is to make people aware of what is going on around us and how climate change is affecting us as a country."One of the statistics we got is that Trinidad is the most coastal erosion country in the Caribbean which is very terrible. I didn't know about that at all. I plan to inform people about climate change and how Trinidad is affected by it, also share some ideas about how we can help the environment by recycling and other things.
"Most of all, I would like to help my school's recycling project which would help us become a more sustainable school and start other environmental projects with the environmental club. The forum was great, I hope this happens every year," Wiltshire said.Amrita Annamunthodo, a 19-year-old student at UWI, pursuing a degree in Biochemistry, attended the Climate Change Youth Forum because she is extremely passionate about the environment on a whole. "At the forum, I had the pleasant opportunity of interacting with participants of all ages and I learned that I was not the only one who shared this passion. They all spoke so eloquently about the topics that were presented, in a manner which highlighted their high level of education about the issues and solutions. It was the first climate change forum that I had attended, that actually gave solid evidence that action was to be undertaken after the discussions were held.
"Firstly, I plan to set the example and re-evaluate the way that I live my life, with regards to co-existing with the environment and exercising sustainability. I also plan to spread awareness, and help to organise solutions that we can implement in our very own communities. I am very grateful that such an event was organised," Annamunthodo said.Irfaan Ali, an Upper Six student of Bishop Anstey, Trinity College East Sixth Form attended the forum to voice his opinions on climate change issues.
"But on arriving at the event, I was overwhelmed by the number of young people I saw with the same intention. Almost everyone shared the same line of thought with regards to the impact that climate change was having on our country. We all seemed to share the same ultimate goals as well."The main thing that stuck with me from the forum was the immense passion that the attendees had to change the course of things because it is this passion that will lead us to eventually combat climate change. I plan to affect everyone I meet and make them aware of the climate change situation just as how the forum impacted me and made me aware."
Shanaz Khan, a student of ASJA Girls' College, San Fernando, said she attended the youth forum because she was very much concerned about the environment and the adverse effects climate change was having on the Caribbean."Climate change threatens to severely undermine efforts geared towards sustainable development and it is crucial that it is addressed. Change begins with me (you)."The forum was very informative, interactive and raised awareness amongst the youths of Trinidad and Tobago. We contributed ideas and formed a declaration that will hopefully be put forward to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
"I will certainly do what I can to make a difference and encourage others to do so as well as it is a collective responsibility. With the information and knowledge gained from this forum, it is my responsibility to distribute this information and make others aware of the crisis that we are facing, and inform them about what they can do to make a difference."Shabiyath Ali, a 23-year-old pre-registered pharmacist, said she attended to learn as much as she could about climate change as well as to be able to express her own views with respect to health matters.
"Climate change affects health! Water-borne and food-borne diseases will affect us drastically if we don't clean up our act. In Trinidad and Tobago these diseases are not as prominent as others in the world and as such medications may not be available to treat such diseases. Thus, we may need to import these medications and this will cause a delay in treatment of the patients/s affected."It is in my humble opinion that we do our best to stop littering to start and thus indirectly stop these diseases."Denique Sammy from San Fernando Central Secondary School attended the youth forum on climate change because she is currently studying both environmental science and geography which deals with this issue.
"A lot of feasible ideas were proposed that have the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change especially in the Caribbean region. Also, a lot of statistical data on what Trinidad and Tobago's Government are doing or have plans of doing in order to curb this issue was outlined that was not known before," she said.Xuxa Alysia Ragoonanan also from San Fernando Central Secondary School said she attended the forum because it was an opportunity for the youths to voice their opinion on the topic."Since the Caribbean is directly affected by climate change, I found it necessary for my voice to be heard and put forth my ideas to curb this issue. It was also an amazing opportunity to expand my knowledge of climate change in aid of excelling in my respective subjects where climate change is one of the major focal areas.
"In attending this forum, I was able to obtain valuable contacts from persons with the same interest in the preservation of the environment. This can be very useful with future endeavours in that we can all come together to achieve certain environmental goals."