COURTING ECO OVERLOAD

"Large-scale deforestation, mega petrochemical plants, an accelerated housing programme, oil spills, illegal quarrying and mining are all putting a severe strain on the environment," the bank said.

Sadly, the response of governments towards environmental protection and conservation in Trinidad and Tobago as elsewhere in the world, seems to be "more reactive than proactive" and "are often guilty of disregarding environmental laws and regulations."

While incomes as measured by GDP per capita, have risen considerably over the period reaching approximately US$9,000, increased housing construction and agricultural development in the Northern Range and elsewhere have accelerated the rate of deforestation and which has been responsible for extensive flooding in low-lying areas, the bank noted.

According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2004, the bank pointed out that out of 104 countries this country ranked 75th in terms of stringency of environmental regulations and 79th in terms of business compliance with the country’s laws.

Less developed countries such as Sri Lanka and Uganda were ranked much higher, clearly pointing to the need for greater environmental consciousness. Trinidad and Tobago has ten ammonia plants, six methanol plants, one urea plant, three liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains and a host of other plants; additionally, the construction of LNG train IV and M5000 Methanol plant are winding down and both plants are expected to come on stream later this year.

To add to the growing number of plants, Government recently signed an agreement with Alcoa for an aluminum smelter and fabricating plant, noting that Union Estate will now be the site for a second aluminum smelter plant. The country also boasts a host of traditional manufacturing plants and is the largest exporter of ammonia and methanol in the world, it was noted.

The rapid increase in the number of vehicles has also exacerbated the nation’s environmental troubles by compromising our air quality, Republic Bank noted.

According to the CSO during the period 1998-2004 there was a 39.5 percent increase in the number of registered vehicles. In 2000 Trinidad and Tobago ranked 34th in the world but 5th in Latin America and the Caribbean, in terms of the number of cars per 1,000 of population, with 115 vehicles for every 1,000 persons (Table 1).

"This has not only increased traffic congestion with its attendant costs but has also increased carbon dioxide emissions," the bank said and pointed to the 2005 UNDP report that Trinidad and Tobago has one of the highest rates of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) per capita in Latin America and the Caribbean (Table 2).

In 2002 the country had a carbon dioxide emission of 31.9 metric tonnes per capita, which was much higher than countries like Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Jamaica, and Guyana, it said.

"The country’s marine resources are also under threat, as tourism related development and other factors have contributed to severe damage to the coral reefs in Tobago. The swamp lands are increasingly being encroached upon for agricultural purposes; pollutants from chemicals, industrial effluent and discharge of untreated sewage add to the ongoing deterioration of the marine environment.

Waste disposal has also become a serious concern, as illegal dumping from domestic and commercial sources is rampant," the bank said.

Furthermore, according to the bank, there has been a steady rise in the tonnage of waste deposited in the various landfills and many of the sites are nearing capacity. "Between 1998 and 2003 the Beetham landfill has seen a 52 percent increase in the tonnage of waste received annually and has become a major source of air pollution for commuters and people living next to the landfill. "What seems clear is that the progress of Trinidad and Tobago has come with significant and increasing costs to the environment. The truth is that while we are dependent on the environment for economic survival, we are also vulnerable to its wrath when we ill-treat it," the bank stressed, adding that poor environmental practices when confronted by even moderately sized natural calamities, seem to have catastrophic effects.

Trinidad and Tobago has received its fair share of warnings about our lack of preparedness but "our disaster preparedness and mitigation programmes seem clearly not capable of handling a major natural disaster," it was observed. In dealing with the environmental deficit, the bank suggested that business become more sensitive to practices which are destroying the environment and called on them to eradicate bad practices.

The Government has its job to do, it said, noting it must adhere to the laws and ensure that citizens and businesses do likewise.

While economic growth and development is the goal of every country, this must not mean that the environment should be considered a free for all.

"There is a cost to deforestation, dumping of hazardous waste and other forms of pollution. The external costs associated with pollution needs to be accounted for in everyday economic activity, as existing arrangements allow businesses to concentrate mainly on private costs, overlooking the wider costs of production."

It added, "Organisations cannot ignore the negative spill over effects that their businesses have on the ecosystem.