President:
Caribbean needs alternative energy sources
By Louis B Homer
South Bureau
Trinidad Express
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
07 01 07
As world governments grapple with problems of global
warming, a call has been made by President George
Maxwell Richards for Caribbean countries to start
using an alternative source of power.
Speaking
at the chartering of the new Rotary Club of Felicity/Charlieville
at Gaston Court, Chaguanas
on Thursday, Richards, expressing his concern for
the environmental dangers facing the world, said: "The
world is in very deep crisis and consideration
should be given by Caribbean countries to the wider
use of solar and wind energy and other non conventional
sources such as tidal and waves energy."
He
said as a region made up of mainly small island
states, the Caribbean was "very vulnerable" to
the hazards of the global pattern of energy consumption, "although
we have hardly contribute to the prospect of climate
change and sea level rise".
Richards, a qualified chemical engineer and former
principal of the University of the West Indies
at St Augustine, said over the long term, the increasing
use of fuels such as coal, petroleum and gas was
unsustainable.
He pointed out that burning fossil fuel resulted
in the emission of carbon dioxide and worsening
of the green house effect.
"About 80 per cent of all climate warming
is being caused by emissions of carbon dioxide," Richards
told the function, at which 22 members were inducted
into the club by District Governor Victor Pilgrim.
The President said while it was clear that the
Caribbean region had contributed little to major
elements of environmental degradation as global
warming, the region was as vulnerable as the rest
of the world.
Club president Gayapersad Beharry pledged the
support of members in helping to ease social problems
in the area.
Trinidad
Express
Monday, July 2nd 2007
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