Carbon Reduction Strategy Stakeholder Consultation

To help develop the Implementation Framework of the Carbon Reduction Strategy (CRS) that was approved in July 2015, the Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit (MEAU) of the Ministry of Planning and Development organised a stakeholder consultation to engage and receive feedback from stakeholders on the assessments conducted and recommendations proposed. 

This Consultation was held on July 23rd, 2015. In total 52 representatives from stakeholder agencies in the electrical power generation, transport and industrial sectors were present. 

Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh (Head, MEAU) addressing participants at the CRS Consultation, July 23rd, 2015

The Institutional Capacity Assessment which outlined capacity gaps and options for institutional strengthening and the recommendations for an Implementation Framework for the Strategy, which sought to identify activities to achieve the implementation of the Carbon Reduction Strategy were presented and discussed.

Participants during a break out session discussing and identifying activities to implement the CRS.

There was consensus amongst the stakeholders for a more active role by the public and private sector and the need for public awareness in low carbon development and reducing our contribution to greenhouse gas emissions as part of country dialogue and development. 

              

                              

Second Stakeholder Workshop under the CRS

The Second Stakeholder Consultation Workshop under the Carbon Reduction Strategy Project:

 

The Second Stakeholder Consultation Workshop under the Carbon Reduction Strategy (CRS) Project was held at the Cara Suites  Hotel and Conference Centre, Claxton Bay on the 11th November, 2014. Seventy-four (74) persons including participants and organisers attended the stakeholder consultation.

The agenda comprised various elements, namely Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) and group discussion on the implementation, coordination and financing about the future of the Climate Change Strategy of Trinidad and Tobago.

In general, the stakeholders contributed with improvements to the Strategy giving specific feedback on how to improve the  coordination, the financing and the data retrieval process. The feedback received would enhance the definition of those  sections, facilitating the implementation of the Strategy and strengthening it. 

Workshops were also held during the month of November, 2014:

 

Module 1:  November 13^th 2014 - Cara Suites Hotel

This module provided a first introduction to climate change for the attendees who may not be familiarized with it. The module aided persons to understand the concept, its consequences and the  evolution of the international action to tackle it.

Module 2: November 14^th 2014 - Cara Suites Hotel

This module focused on existing mechanisms and tools that can be used by the government to tackle climate change including detailed descriptions of the mechanisms. Through an interactive activity, attendees were better able to understand their functioning.

Module 3: 18^th- 19^th November 2014 - UTT Chaguanas Campus

This technical module contained knowledge that is necessary in order to develop any greenhouse gas (GHG) related calculations. It provided the tools to calculate emissions and analyze GHG emissions reduction actions. Participants were able to use the Excel models and perform calculations.

Module 4: 20^th - 21^st November 2014 -UTT Chaguanas Campus

This technical module comprised knowledge that is necessary in order to develop any risk and vulnerability analysis to evaluate GHG adaptation options. Again, participants were able to use the Excel models and so execute calculations.

Module 0: 27^th November 2014 - Hilton Hotel and Conference  Centre, Trinidad

This module focused on raising awareness among Permanent Secretaries and high level technocrats about basic climate change concepts and the necessity to consider climate change and its consequences when making high-level national decisions This was done by exposing them to two types of valuable information including threats caused by climate change and opportunities it may present.  In addition, the module informed participants about the initiatives being undertaken by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

The LECB Project

The Low Emission Capacity Building Programme (LECB) received approval from the Cabinet. The project document of the LECB Programme for Trinidad and Tobago was signed by the Minister of the  Environment and Water Resources, Senator, the Honourable Ganga Singh and the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mr. Richard Blewitt.

The LECB Programme partners with governments to implement national projects that support sustainable mitigation actions in both the public and industrial sectors. It was launched in January 2011 as part of a joint collaboration between the European Union (European Commission and Member States) and the United Nations Development Programme. This  collaborative programme aims to strengthen technical and institutional capacities at the country level, while at the same time facilitating inclusion and coordination of the public and private sector in national initiatives addressing climate change.   

The Ministry anticipates that the work of the LECB will commence in the near future. The next step is the hiring of a Project Manager and Technical Assistant; following which, the activities of the project shall begin. The main expected outputs include:

•  a greenhouse gas inventory 
• at least three Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), 
•  a Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system.

LECB Caribbean Regional Workshop

A regional workshop entitled “Low-Emission Capacity Building (LECB) Programme - Engaging the Private Sector to Contribute to Climate Change - Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Workshop” was held in Santiago, Chile during the period May 14-16, 2014.

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was represented at the Workshop by Ms. Sindy Singh, Environmental Policy and Planning Division,  Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) and Mr. Ryan Assiu, Environmental Management Authority (EMA). 

 

The Workshop aimed to build capacities to design and implement Low Emission Development through national mitigation actions in public and/ or private sectors among LECB participating countries in the Latin  America and Caribbean region. The workshop had four objectives: 

• Initiate a public-private dialogue on stimulating involvement of the private sector in climate change mitigation; 
•  Discuss experiences in private sector participation on mitigation activities and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs); 
•  Engage various actors in a discussion on policy objectives and  innovative approaches to support mitigation activities and  NAMAs; 
•  Exchange lessons learned on improving market conditions to enhance private investment.

 

Ms. Sindy Singh (MEWR) at the LECB - Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Workshop (May 14 –16, 2014).

Overall, it was concluded that there is a significant need to leverage private sector finance for climate change mitigation as public sector funds are not sufficient for the required levels of greenhouse gas abatement to avoid the dangerous anthropogenic climate change as committed to in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.  Therefore, in order to leverage such funds, it was decided that there was a need for appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks, incentives and measurement, reporting and verification systems for the implementation of NAMAs.

Carbon Reduction Strategy for T&T

Carbon Reduction Strategy for Trinidad and Tobago (click to download)

Developing a national carbon reduction strategy

                        

The Ministry of Housing and Environment (MHE) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently began a project aimed at achieving environmentally sustainable development and a low carbon development path through the Elaboration of a Strategy for the Reduction of Carbon Emissions in Trinidad and Tobago.  

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) is a substantial part of GHGs due to its abundance, but GHGs also include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆), methane and nitrous oxide. T&T, as the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, has relatively significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The development of such energy intensive industries on a small physical land mass, coupled with the high level of urbanization, has created several environmental challenges, including increasing GHG emissions.

However, as a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Trinidad and Tobago is legally bound to contribute to the achievement of the Convention’s main objective: to stabilise GHGs in the atmosphere. As such, three major local industries were identified as potential sources for mitigation of GHG/CO₂ emissions in Trinidad and Tobago through a baseline assessment of a national GHG emissions inventory:

1. Power production
2. Energy / Industrial processes
3. Transport

Consequently, this project to elaborate a strategy for domestic GHG emissions reduction aims to:

• Strengthen the capacity of relevant government ministries and agencies in assessing costs and benefits of sectoral development paths and the selection of low carbon alternatives
• Develop a CO₂ reduction strategy and policy through gap analyses, impact assessments, etc.
• Establish an implementation structure for the CO₂ reduction strategy

On Friday 16^th March 2012, a meeting with the Project Team was held to finalize the duties and responsibilities of the consultants required, as the project moves into the first phase of procurement of both training and technical consultants.