Minister of Housing and the Environment Dr Roodal Moonilal says T&T is vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change and its carbon emissions are significant compared to the rest of the region. He made the statement while giving the feature address at yesterday's Second Regional Clean Development Mechanism Workshop at Crowne Plaza, Port-of-Spain. "As a small island developing country whose economy is based on oil and gas exports, T&T is at the same time particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change and finds itself in a rather unique situation of having relatively significant emissions compared to the rest of the region," Moonilal said. Moonilal said climate change posed significant developmental challenges for countries of the region and in particular small island developing states. He said the adverse impacts of climate change were already being experienced in many parts of the Caribbean.
"It cannot be disputed that climate change ought to occupy a place of very high priority in the national developmental agenda for all nations," Moonilal said. He said the Government had recently approved a National Climate Change Policy which addressed the mitigation of greenhouse gases through the development of a low carbon economy by the increased use of renewable energy, the introduction of cleaner technology and the enhancement of natural carbon sinks as well as a Forest Policy and a Protected Areas Policy. Moonilal said the Government had started to develop a carbon reduction strategy for the power generation, transportation and industrial sectors.
