T&T
10th worldwide for Green House G
By Kristy Ramnarine
Trinidad Express
Port Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
06 24 07
Trinidad and Tobago is now ranked as the 10th
highest contributor of Green House Gas (GHG) per
capita, according to Dr John Agard, chairman of
the Environmental Management Authority (EMA).
He was speaking during Tuesday night's EMA Green
Leaf Awards ceremony, which took place at the Trinidad
Hilton.
"All small-island developing states on the
planet are responsible for just 1.5 per cent of
the global figure. Trinidad and Tobago is only
point something of that global total," he
explained.
"We
are not large in total emissions and even the
high ranking for capita is confusing,
because right behind us is Antigua and Barbuda,
who is 12th on the list.
"But
that is not important, we have a larger responsibility.
Although we contribute a small
amount to the total Green House Gas figure, that
does not mean it absolves us from responsibility."
Dr
Agard said it is very important for T&T
to develop GHG policies.
"The percentage per capita is not concentrated
with size of country because the largest country
is not first on the list. It's the fastest developing
country. It's an indicator of wealth and this is
something we should be way of," he added.
"T&T
does not have an ethical responsibility but a
moral one of doing the right thing. We should
not have to be forced by laws or treaties or should
not have to fiddle with statistics to prove that
we are not a high contributor."
He
said T&T along with Bahrain was unique
because both were fossil fuel exporting small developing
nations.
"Seventy to 80 per cent of natural gas is
exported to the US from Trinidad and Tobago. A
tanker leaves Trinidad everyday, that is 365 days
for the year, so even if we are a low contributor
of GHG we are contributing to the GHG in the United
States," Dr Agard said.
In
the past, T&T has been ranked as the third
and fifth highest contributor of GHG per capita.
- kramnarine@trinidadexpress.com
Trinidad
Express
Monday, June 11th 2007
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