This was one of several issues discussed between Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis and Chinese Ambassador to TT Song Yumin, when Yumin paid a courtesy call on Robinson-Regis at the Eric Williams Financial Complex in Port of Spain last week.

In a statement, the Planning Ministry said there was a project between the University of the West Indies and the China Agriculture University aimed at finding ways to increase domestic agricultural productivity and reduce TT’s food import bill.

Robinson-Regis said a cooperative arrangement with China would be a great learning opportunity for TT in terms of industrial and technological development.

China’s history with TT has also involved the health care sector, agriculture and technical cooperation.

Dry docking and the development of industrial parks in TT are some of the areas already being examined by China’s Exim bank to assess funding possibilities.

Robinson-Regis raised interest in China collaborating on development projects involving Tobago as well as environmental support for TT as a small-island developing state.

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young said this when he addressed a Rotary Club of Port of Spain luncheon in Woodbrook on Tuesday.

Young said two months ago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley sent him on assignment to China. He said since that time there have been discussions on expanding China’s One Road-One Belt to TT, with this country serving as the gateway to Latin America for China.Young said the construction of a dry dock facility in La Brea is one initiative being pursued at this time.

However, he said, “We are not just asking the Chinese to come and build and give us the financing.” The minister said Government is discussing significant local content in both the construction and operational phases of this project in partnership with the Chinese.

Young said he has been speaking with Chinese Ambassador to TT Song Yumin, officials from the China Exim Bank and other Chinese companies, “to make this a reality.” Young also hoped that China would agree to Government’s proposal for this country to “become a clearing house for the Western Hemisphere for the Chinese currency.” He also said last week he met with Venezuelan Energy Minister Nelson Martinez to “shore up” discussions on a gas sales agreement for Venezuela’s maritime Dragon Field. Young said new gas contracts have been negotiated with upstream companies.

He also said there is a lot of exploration taking place in TT and more that is “going to take place.” Recalling all the efforts the People’s National Movement has made to stabilise the economy since assuming office in September 2015, Young said the latest Heritage and Stabilisation Fund report shows the Fund has “rebuilt itself ” after a second withdrawal was made from it in March. He also identified the proposed Sandals resort in Tobago and a hotel and convention centre on the site of the former agriculture ministry’s offices in St Clair among other economic issues being pursued by Government.

Schneider Electric (SE) is a major player in energy efficiency services such as air fl ow management for computer servers.

Business Day sat down with the company’s International Trade and Development Sales Director for the Caribbean, Manuel A.

Rodrigues, to find out more about the importance of keeping servers cool and humidity-free.

“Air flow management is very critical because servers have a specific temperature reading that they can work in, and that’s where we come in. We ensure, from a cooling perspective, that air flow is happening properly, that the temperature levels are being maintained. We also provide solutions for humidity; something which is a factor in tropical regions like the Caribbean. Humidity has a big impact on computer equipment and servers in particular because they have specific humidity ranges, outside of which, they can malfunction.” Rodrigues explained that SE’s precision cooling system was designed to address temperature and humidity concerns in an efficient manner.

“This system is our most recommended cooling solution for companies located in tropical conditions; versus typical comfort air that you may see in an office environment, because cooling humans is a very different need compared to cooling computer equipment.” Rodrigues said that while “a lot of people think cooling is about how much cold air you push into a room, it’s actually about how to extract the heat from a room. So it’s a heat extraction system, even though they call it an airconditioning system.” It’s always key to save money on your electricity bills, even more so during an economic slowdown as many countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, are currently experiencing.

Headquartered in Rueil- Malmaison, France, SE has operations all over the world.

As companies, particularly those with lean profit margins, seek to reduce their operating costs as profit margins remain thin, SE has seen an increase in the number of requests for assessments of existing cooling and/or energy efficiency systems.

Rodrigues told Business Day that SE offers several assessments, including “simple walk throughs, free of charge, where we can quickly identify certain problems.

However, when we’re talking about in-depth studies to identify real significant percentages of savings, that’s where our assessment services come in; both from a power quality/power efficiency perspective as well as cooling efficiencies.

“The majority of your energy consumption is from cooling and if your cooling system is working overtime because of inefficiencies, then at the end of the day, you’re possibly over-spending on 60 percent of your data centre energy consumption.” What may come as even more of a surprise to many businesses is that installing an SE system can potentially save them hundreds of thousands of US dollars in reduced electricity bills.Rodrigues gave the example of a company in The Bahamas which, in February 2017, asked SE to assess its cooling system.

“We were able to save that company US$400,000 a year in operating expenditure aft er we improved the efficiency of their energy consumption related to their cooling system. The company is housed in a two-storey building; seven rooms of critical equipment plus regular office spaces. They asked us to come in because they felt that not only were they not being efficient enough, their system wasn’t providing the right level of cooling to support their infrastructure because they were failing.” Rodrigues also spoke to Business Day about his June 2017 visit to Trinidad, during which he met with existing and potential SE clients at Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain. SE holds regular meetings with clients here and abroad in order to get direct, up-to-date feedback on its systems and any new or emerging energy efficiency needs companies may have developed since their last meeting. “This allows us to better prepare and plan for the future – so we can adjust as we need to, continue to make improvements as we can and make the right investments to be able to support those customer needs long into the future…The great thing about Schneider Electric is that our solution offering is so vast, we can (meet) the majority of the needs that a customer may have by right-sizing the right solution within our product offering.” Speaking specifically about the company’s local presence, Rodrigues praised the contribution of SE’s Enterprise Territory Manager for TT and the Englishspeaking Caribbean, Sharlene Mangalie, who was appointed to the post two years ago.

“Having someone based here has helped enormously (in growing our business). It allows us to maintain that ear to the ground more consistently versus us just flying in once a quarter, which is really all we were able to do in the past. Having someone who was born and raised in TT, (has) allowed us to continue to interact with our customer base while ensuring that their feedback is shared across all zones within the organisation, so that we can (more quickly) respond to the needs of TT.” Asked if a business has to be of a certain size to hire SE, Rodrigues said this is not so at all.

“We work across the board…

Any business that has a server rack can be a client of ours.

We’re interested in supporting (everyone). So, for example, if you own a retail shop selling your own equipment and you have small information technology (IT) devices to support your operations, SE can support you the exact same way we do our Tier 1 customers such as The University of the West Indies.”

but it is not readily available in many of the places where it is needed most. Many countries across the region do not get enough rainfall. Last year, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) issued a drought warning for several Caribbean countries due to the below-normal rainfall recorded during the previous dry and wet seasons, which has resulted in a number of countries experiencing water shortages in 2015. Seven countries in the Caribbean make the list of the world’s top 36 water-stressed countries, with Barbados in the top ten. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) defnes countries like Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitt s and Nevis as waterscarce with less than 1000 m3 freshwater resources per capita. In February 2016, the Cuban Government reported that 27% of the country was affected by water deficitis. By April, the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) committed to both assisting 1.6 million people hit by droughts worsened by El Niño in Guatemala, Honduras.

El Salvador and Haiti and building resilience against future climatic shocks. Extracting clean water from seawater is becoming an increasingly integral part of our region’s search for water security, but there are challenges to this process. Huge amounts of power are required to operate decsalination plants which mean importing costly fossil fuels. The agricultural industry relies heavily on rainfall and has been badly affected by the drought. As irrigation use has becoming more widespread in Caribbean farms, the supply of fresh-water has become increasingly important. According to the UNWFP, no rainfall for seven to ten days alone can reduce crop yields, productivity and reduce livestock and poultry, significantly reducing the livelihoods of farmers. All of this has a knock on effect for consumers as certain produce badly aff ected by the climate become much more expensive to buy. In June 2016, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) approved a US$11.2 million loan to the government of Saint Lucia, to improve the water supply system in the community of Dennery North. In addition to the loan, the government of Saint Lucia will receive a grant of US$110,000 to be used for communications and building awareness of the project; water conservation practices; water-borne diseases; and the impact of climate change on water supply. Tackling the problems that are a result of the global water shortages are a major priority to ensure economic growth. Three out of four of the jobs worldwide are water-dependent; either directly related to its management (supply, infrastructure, wastewater treatment.

etc.) or in economic sectors that are heavily water-dependent such as agriculture, fishing.

power, industry and health. If water shortages continue, it may limit economic growth in the years to come. So what can businesses do to start managing this issue? Oneaction is to determine and calculate the water footprint, which can be thought of as its “direct” and “indirect” water impacts. Through understanding the impact, businesses can create a comprehensive disclosure on the issue within annual and sustainability reports. Understanding the bigger picture of water consumption and pollution can help identify water-related business risks and the strategic actions required to achieve sustainable water use and water resource efficiency. Organisations need to engage with government and other stakeholders on public policy of water to know the full extent to which and how water use can be regulated.

monitored and managed. It supports civil society engagement in river basin dialogues by building their understanding of the issues and it assists government in having a comprehensive picture of water use within the basin. Finally, organisations should develop a corporate-wide sustainability strategy that takes a systems-wide approach to energy.

carbon, water and material use. All of these issues are interrelated, and any corporate strategy requires an integrated solution. Organisations need to move beyond a focus on legitimacy and reputation building and embrace an internal management approach if they are going to add value to their businesses by realising the full range of economic and environmental benefits made possible via improved water use, the reduction of risk in times of water shortage or surplus, and grasping opportunities.

As a small island developing state, Trinidad and Tobago is particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, such as those related to temperature increases, changes in precipitation and sea level rise.

Specific sectors that are likely to be impacted include agriculture, human settlements and infrastructure, coastal zones, water resources and tourism. For example, increases in temperature, less rainfall and a decrease in soil quality will lead to decreased crop yields and a decrease in rainfall will directly result in the reduced availability of potable water.

According to a 2015 report on the status of climate change data in Trinidad and Tobago, climatic change needs to be factored into water management strategies, drought management and flood damage reduction programs.

Other vulnerable sectors for which measures would be required include coastal resources, agriculture, forestry, health, and food security.

Water resource managers would need to consider present and future demand due to declining rainfall, more frequent and longer dry spells, higher evaporation rates and salinity intrusion. Regarding the health sector, higher incidences of vector-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, have been occurring since 1970. In December 2013, the first case of the vector-borne disease chikungunya, originating from Africa and Asia, was confirmed in the Caribbean as changing climate continued to create conditions for the proliferation of the mosquitoes that carry these diseases.

Greenhouse gas inventories for all emitting sectors including power generation, transportation, industry, waste, and agriculture have been conducted as part of the reporting obligations of Trinidad and Tobago as a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Trinidad and Tobago accounts for less than 1 % of greenhouse gases in the context of global absolute emissions, but has a relatively high per capita emission.

The carbon dioxide emissions level of Trinidad and Tobago for 2008 was the highest in the region. This is because of having a small population coupled with being the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas.

Carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector increased by over 300% since 1990 and more than doubled in the transport sector for the same period, especially since an increasing number of motor vehicles are registered. Carbon dioxide emissions from power generation have increased by almost 50% comparing to the 1990 value, and emissions from the industrial processes sector have increased by over 100 % since 1990.

Accordingly, the Government has defined the policy framework for a low carbon development plan through the National Climate Change Policy 2011, and developed a Carbon Reduction Strategy for the power generation, transportation and industrial sectors. Implementing the provisions of this policy is critical and necessary to ensure a sustainable development path that will redound to the benefits of society as a whole in the short, medium and long terms.

Building climate resilience through the reduction of carbon emissions and reducing climate vulnerability in all sectors will create green jobs and have significant benefits from an air quality and associated public health costs perspective, as well as enhance the coping ability and capacity to the adverse impacts of climate change.

The aim of the climate change policy is to reduce overall emissions from the three sectors by 15% by 2030.

Trinidad and Tobago also committed to reduce its public transportation emissions by 30% compared to 2013 levels by December 31, 2030. The estimated cost of achieving the reduction objectives is US$2 billion, which is expected to be met partly through domestic funding and conditional on international climate financing including through the Green Climate Fund.

Being a signatory to the UNFCCC, Trinidad and Tobago committed to pursuing a lowcarbon development path, consistent with the principles of sustainable development.

This is to be done through the development and delivery of strategies and actions for maximizing renewable energy resources, clean energy and clean production technology as well as adapting to the adverse impacts of climate change through integration within all aspects of national development in its infrastructural, human and socio-economic systems.

As September approaches, we hope to see evidence of the government’s commitment to the welfare of the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago in the 2018 budget and the National Economic Plan.

Our golden young men – Jarrin Solomon, Jereem Richards, Machel Cedenio, Lalonde Gordon and Renny Quow – are indeed deserving of every accolade bestowed on them for their excellent performance. As strains of the T&T national anthem filled the London stadium during the medal ceremony, our collective hearts were bursting with unfettered pride.

Far too often, many of us tend to question our people’s ability to reach the pinnacle of success within our respective spheres of influence. As such, the chances of coming out ahead of our formidable and well-resourced counterparts from first world countries at times appears quite slim. Clearly in this instance, teamwork tipped the scale and our athletes rose to the challenge, convincingly securing victory in the process.

As we stand on the cusp of our 55th anniversary of Independence, perhaps, there is a lesson here for all of us who call this twin-island Republic, home. What did it take for our team to win? Without a doubt, those youth must have endured many long hours of intense training, discipline, deferred gratication and sacrifice, failure, the willingness to start all over again, teamwork, trust and, above all, a deep belief in self. These are all attributes and practices which can be applied to many areas of our national life, particularly as we seem to be grappling with a great deal of negativity in our society today.

These young men worked together to achieve a common goal. One can only imagine the difference it would make, if we adopted this kind of mindset on the road to building a more productive nation.

Using the example set by our Golden Team, consider what it would be like if our national stakeholders chose a more unifying approach to resolving critical issues, rather than opting for confrontation. Think of what might be accomplished if both the Government and the Opposition were to work together collaboratively, in the areas that matter the most – from national security, to education, health and equity between the islands.

From ti me to ti me we might hear the term “consultation” being bandied about and very often it creates a false sense of progress. In the end, what truly matters is a commitment to working together and then following through on execution and implementation, in all sectors of national endeavour.

During the month of August, we typically reflecton our nationhood in the build up to Independence Day celebrations. This is a period imbued with a great deal of patriotic pride. What better ti me to celebrate our winning relay team, which has epitomised the true spirit of Trinidad and Tobago and captured our hearts so warmly? These young men have created a unifying force – the likes of which have not been seen in some ti me. We have a great opportunity to put aside our differences, celebrate who we are, uniquely, as Trinbagonians and commit decisively to forward motion.

The T&T Chamber sends warm congratulations and best wishes to our World Championships 2017 Men’s 4 x 400 Gold Medallists!

The appointment, announced yesterday, became effective on August 1, 2017.

The RIC noted that Lee Young has more than 25 years’ experience in various sectors including Energy, Utility, Manufacturing and Service, both locally and internationally.

Lee Young has held senior executive and leadership positions in organisations such as Shell International, British Borneo, Venture Production, Ten Degrees North Energy Limited as well as briefly holding the post of CEO of the Water and Sewerage Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (WASA).

The RIC said Lee Young “brings a range of competencies in business, economics, finance, organisational transformation and project management” to the commission.

Lee Young served as the president of the South Trinidad Chamber of Industry and Commerce, which under his leadership was restructured to the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago. He continues to hold directorships within the finance and services industry.

The RIC’s Board of Commissioners and staff yesterday offered a warm welcome to Lee Young, expressing confidence that “his unique blend of training, knowledge and experience will allow him to deliver the highest level of performance to the RIC.” The RIC is the statutory body that regulates the water, wastewater and electricity sectors in Trinidad and Tobago.

Trincity Nationals, who dominated proceedings in the first half, came close on numerous occasions.

The breakthrough came in the 24th minute, as striker Dennelia Prince expertly finishing home from a wonderful assist by midfielder Shanelle Warrick, which split the Club Sando’s defence.

Nationals came close again in the 30th, with Warrick showcasing some silky skills in the midfield, beating two Club Sando’s defenders before seeing her shot hit the uprights.

Three minutes into the second half, Prince confidently dispatched another item after a goalkeeping blunder.

Club Sando had a few chances coming from the wings but they were not enough to halt the determined opposition as they threatened again with arguably the most impressive player on the field in Warrick.

The final goal of the game came in the 90th minute through second half substitute Lee Ann Kirby who used her strength to bulldoze her way through the defence before beating the keeper with the in-step of her right foot.

In other games on Saturday, Real Dimension continued their undefeated journey at Morvant Recration Ground when they nudged a 2-1 victory over Mic-It St Ann’s Rangers to stay afloat on top the standings.

St Augustine FC also continued their winning ways after a slim 1-0 victory over Queen’s Park at the St Mary’s College Ground, St Clair.

On Sunday, in First Division action, St Augustine Juniors defeated Sweaters Women 2-0 at Constantine Park, Macoya while Malvern were victorious over Defence Force.

The result follows 4-0 and 6-0 defeats to Costa Rica and United States respectively.

Canada took a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute through Jérémie Omega Nkoy, an advantange they took to the half time interval.

Nkoy would add a second item after the break with Cameron De Silva adding another goal.

TT coach Russell Latapy said, “It was a good experience for the players over the three matches.

Definitely a learning experience and for the players who were able to see and experience a lot of different aspects of the game at the international level. Unfortunately at home we are not playing at a high enough level for these players to be really exposed to international football. The boys are seeing the importance of a lot of different aspects in terms of tactical awareness and the right mentality, the winning mentality.. a professional mentality.

“This trip was good for us especially staying here at the IMG Academy where these boys can see the way the professional athletes live and behave. I think in terms of potential and talent we are not far enough from some of these other teams. But again it is imperative we get into the right habits and this tournament was really important for that,” Latapy added.

“Things are going to take time to come through but we will continue to persevere with what we are trying too achieve,” the former national men’s team captain and coach ended.

With the nation gearing up towards hosing the highly anticipated Elite Pan American Track Championships in two weeks time, the recent results and athletes’ form can only mean positive things moving forward.

In a recent interview with Newsday, Racing Director at TT CF, Gary Acosta, stated, “The competition ran smoothly and the level of competition was outstanding as the athletes’ times showed they are really ready for the upcoming Elite Pan Ams.” According to the TT CF, the official national team of cyclist which will represent the twin-island republic at the Pan Ams, will be selected by Monday.

Since there were not enough teams registered for last Monday evening’s Madison race. The tall female PSL cyclist, Teniel Campbell, once again dominated the Women’s proceedings on the final day of the National Elite Championships, which concluded on Sunday evening.

Campbell started the last day of activities by setting a new National 3-kilometre Individual Pursuit record with a time of three minutes 55.44 seconds, eclipsing her 2015 record of 3:56.86, which she established at the high altitude track in Chile.

Her closest competitor was newly switched track cyclist, Alexandra Bovell (Unattached), who is also sister of famed TT swimmer George Bovell III, in a time of 4:00.84 with Christiane Farah (Breakaway) in third with a solid 4:11.07 pursuit. Campbell did not stop there though and saved the best for last when she came up against Kollyn St George of Breakaway Cycling Club in the 500-metre Time Trial. With a half lap remaining, St George was comfortably 0.3 seconds ahead.

However, when the clocks stopped on both ends, Campbell was adjudged the winner by 0.001 seconds in a time of 36.507 seconds.

Jovian Gomez (PSL) snatched the 4km Individual Pursuit event in a time of 4:52.90, just ahead of teammate Akil Campbell’s (PSL) time of 4:53.422. Quincy Alexander shrugged off the pain from his hard fall on Saturday morning in the Sprint Qualifications to set a solid time of 1:05.31. In the process, he captured the 1km Time Trial title with Akil Campbell also placing second in that race and Ako Kellar (Team Foundation) finishing third.