World Environment Day 2015

World Environment Day (WED) is the principal vehicle used by the United Nations through which worldwide awareness of the environment is stimulated as well as it  is a global celebration also serving as the ‘people’s day’ for doing something collectively helpful for the environment.  The theme for WED 2015 is "Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care”. 

To commemorate WED 2015, on June 11th 2015 the Environmental Policy and Planning Division was invited to facilitate lectures about environmental issues such as biodiversity conservation, waste management, ozone depletion and climate change to the students of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Primary School as part of their WED activities. The EPPD also set up an interactive display in the school's auditorium where students visited during break times and played various games that also served to further teach them about the environment.

Students were engaged, participative and fully enjoyed both the lectures and the display:

GEF SGP Knowledge Fair

The Global Environmental Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) Knowledge Fair was a two-day event held at the UWI-Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business on May 28-29, 2015. 

The SGP is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and  implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). GEF SGP provides financial and technical support for projects that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people’s well-being and livelihoods. 

The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, represented by Mr. Javed Lakhan (Environmental Policy Analyst) sits on the  National Steering Committee (NSC) of the GEF SGP. The NSC comprises voluntary representatives from local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government, academia, UNDP and occasionally co-funding donors, indigenous peoples' organisations, the private sector and the media. 

As a member of the NSC, along with contributing in part to its WED activities,  the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) participated in the GEF SGP UNDP Knowledge Fair, 2015. At the Fair, the Ministry’s booth   highlighted some of the works of the Environmental Policy and Planning Division (EPPD) specifically the work of the National Ozone Unit.

 

Ms. Krysten Harris (Associate Professional, NOU), speaking to attendees about ozone layer depletion at the Knowledge Fair

Ms. Neera Singh (Ozone Assistant, NOU) speaking to a student of Palo Seco Secondary School about the ozone layer

Climate Change Awareness at BGTT

The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) was invited by British Gas (BG) Trinidad to sensitise on its climate change initiatives their staff at their annual World Environment Day staff fair at their Port of Spain office on June 3^rd 2014.

R-L: Ms. Batchasingh, Ms. LeungWoo-Gabriel and Ms. Singh conversing with  employees of the BG (left) on climate change initiatives in Trinidad and Tobago.

Ms. Jewel Batchasingh (Climate Change/Ozone Specialist),  Candace Leung-Woo Gabriel (Research Analyst) and Sindy Singh (Research Analyst) of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit (MEAU) represented the MEWR. They gave presentations on the science of Climate Change and initiatives in Trinidad and Tobago  as well as answered many questions from the staff at BG Trinidad about the ongoing implementation of the National Climate Change Policy.