Special thanks must go to Minister of Public Utilities Fitzgerald Hinds for undertaking a massive technological water project in the area. Special praise also goes to the Water and Sewerage Authority’s Peter Johnetty, senior project manager; Dhanraj Roopchand, project manager; Onika Horsford, senior project officer, and WASA officials of the North East Zone. They all have been doing an excellent job.

Johnetty and his team of dedicated WASA officials have really made a significant difference in water distribution in the Sangre Grande region, working around the clock repairing leaks, restoring roads, and managing and monitoring the supply of water.

Thanks again, Johnetty, for alleviating water woes in our region. Keep up the astonishing work.

GABRIEL HENDERSON

The rise in temperature due to climate change is expected to have a significant negative impact on the global economy. Unmitigated climate change is likely to reduce the income of an average person by roughly 23 percent in 2100, according to estimates contained in research publications. In fact, it is estimated that climate change will reduce average income in the poorest 40 percent of countries by 75 percent in 2100.

The overall aggregate effect of climate change on economic growth will most likely be negative in the long run. Global warming is expected to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, bringing with it property and infrastructure loss.

Rising sea levels will also harm economic output as businesses become impaired and people suffer damage to their homes.

There would also be a fall in the productive capacity of the world economy. This would translate into a downward shift in world production. Higher global temperatures may also affect food security, promote the spread of infectious diseases and impair those working outdoors.

There may also be inflationary factors to consider. Agricultural yields are sensitive to weather conditions and as our climate becomes ever more extreme, more frequent droughts may reduce crop yields in areas where food production is vital. Higher global food prices will likely impact income in the process. As the level of warming becomes even greater, food price inflation would rise. Rising inflation may also materialise through reduced land availability. The surge in global temperatures may eventually cause some areas of the world to become uninhabitable and with this will come mass migration.

Alongside the political and socioeconomic implications of these moves will be higher demand for an ever decreasing amount of land. Higher energy costs are also likely to boost inflation. As our climate becomes more extreme we are likely to demand greater energy to cool both our working and living environments. Not only will energy demand change, but supply may shrink as the efficiency of existing power stations is compromised due to higher temperatures.

Internationally, the insurance industry already recognises that it is likely to bear much of the risk of global warming. Companies have already felt the force of extreme weather events on profits; from unseasonal floods to hurricanes.

Extreme weather-related damage to properties has seen insurance companies pay out to cover these costs.

The biggest losers in these global changes are the developing countries which are more likely to disproportionately experience the negative effects of global warming.

Not only do many developing countries have naturally warmer climates than those in the developed world, they also rely more heavily on climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, forestry and tourism. As temperatures rise further, certain regions will face declining crop yields and will struggle to produce sufficient food for domestic consumption, while their major exports will likely fall in volume.

Overall, the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather will weigh on government budgets.

The aftermath of natural disasters often falls on authorities who are forced to spend vast amounts on clear-up operations and healthcare costs that come with experiencing extreme weather.

Revenue reductions may also be experienced by countries heavily dependent on tourism or on fishing, as those countries in the Caribbean are. After all Tobago is heavily dependent on tourism.

There are also other costs associated with global warming and climate change. These include energy costs of air conditioning, worn infrastructure, health problems such as heart attacks and malaria and dengue. Interestingly, a rapidly growing body of research examined whether human conflict can be affected by climatic changes and researchers found a strong link between climactic events and human conflict across all major regions of the world, as well as a link with personal violence and aggression.

Essentially, the climate is fundamental to our economy.

More extreme weather has the potential to weaken economic growth through damage to the capital stock and labour productivity will weaken as the world economy adjusts to higher temperatures. Inflation will rise through the growing cost of food, energy and insurance. Monetary policy can devote efforts to adapt to climate change to contribute to macroeconomic stability.

Standard inflation targeting approach should be modified to deal with persistent supply shocks –using countercyclical policies as reserve accumulation, exchange rate management, and perhaps a more extensive use of informed judgment. However, fiscal and industrial policy are better suited for controlling or mitigating the factors that lead to climate change. We need to understand how the changes in climate affect us here in Trinidad and Tobago and in what way these might impede our future prosperity.

Prior to the 2015 general election, St Ann’s/Cascade was plastered with campaign posters, the remnants of which are still evident.

Now we have the “bannered” fence. Hang your banner, by all means, but be responsible enough to remove it after the event.

And there should be no general advertising.

J KNAGGS St Ann’s

Seasoned international cricketers Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree provides an experienced core to the team. They are complimented by Amir Jangoo, Tion Webster, Yannic Cariah and Isaiah Rajah who represent the new generation of batting talent to emerge from Trinidad and Tobago.

Marlon Richards, who finished the First Class season at the helm of the Red Force, will lead the team once again.

The quartet (Jangoo, Webster, Cariah and Rajah) were the dominant batsmen for the Red Force at the regional level and were dominant in the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TT CB) domestic season. Also selected in the squad is highly rated leg-spinner Kissondath Magram.

The 23-year-old is considered to be one of the best spinners in Trinidad and Tobago and should be a handful for the West Indies batsmen.

Tickets for the match is $40 and will be sold at the gate and at the Box Office.

Patrons attending the practice match will qualify for a 25 percent discount on tickets of the first and second One-Day Internationals between the West Indies and India on June 23 and 25 at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair.

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force squad: Marlon Richards (captain), Amir Jangoo, Tion Webster, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Isaiah Rajah, Nicholas Pooran, Yannic Cariah, Kevon Cooper, Rayad Emrit, Sunil Narine, Samuel Badree, Imran Khan, Kissoondath Magram.

“The average person in Trinidad and Tobago now says, ‘Well what have I got to show for efficiency for that kind of expenditure?’” he said.

Al-Rawi spoke in the House of Representatives as he presented the Bill to amend the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act to decriminalise a number of road traffic offences to violations, implement a red light camera system, implement a demerit points system, and reform the fixed penalty system and related matters.

Noting that TT has been wrestling with a crime situation for some years, he said, over the past seven years, some main ministries spent $26 billion alone. From 2010 to 2015 the sum spent across five ministries was also $26 billion.

“When you add the cost of the TTPS spent for seven years, you are looking at close to $15 billion,” he said.

Speaking of the bill which was recently passed in the Senate, Al-Rawi said,it proposes to decriminalise an annual 100,000 traffic cases in the magistracy and convert them to violations.

Converting the categories of over 40 offences to traffic violations, he said, does not include serious offences such as causing death by dangerous driving, dangerous driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol among others. He noted that while TT was using breathalysers, the United Kingdom has moved on to the use of “drugalysers.” In addition, the bill will create three new clauses to provide for the use of technology to monitor traffic and to pay fines.

An improved system to manage the traffic violations, he said, would be done by applying the use of technology, electronic payments, removing the restriction of boundaries for charges among other measures.

The magistracy, he said, is comprised of a very limited pool of resources.

“We have 48 sitting magistrates, 38 of whom sits in the criminal courts, nine judges sitting in the criminal High Court and a total of 30 judges at the level of the High Court level, and 11 justices of appeal,” he said.

There are 14 main magisterial courts.

In general, he said, “On average there is anywhere between 126,000 cases a year up to a higher amount of 140,000 a year passing through the magistracy.” Statistics show that preliminary inquiries and indictable offences, he said, “particularly on the criminal side, only six per cent of the people who are charged on a yearly basis are in fact given a verdict by the court.” The other 94 per cent, he said, “are subject of charges that go into the backlog.” Excluding San Fernando and Tobago, he said, there are currently 67,925 traffic matters, but the statistics for San Fernando and Tobago will take it up to 100,000 matters.

The reason why these matters are in arrears, he said, is because the current system of law converts offences into crimes.

The administering of traffic offences including the use of attorneys, issuing warrants and hearing of cases, Al-Rawi said, take up hundreds of thousands of man hours that could be better used elsewhere.

He was told by the Judiciary, that of the 68,000 cases, excluding San Fernando and Tobago, some have been outstanding for more than 11 years.

Fines for traffic offences collected between 2010 to 2015 were $250 million.

“The board of directors’ terms are a year…

That is standard. After a couple of years of yeoman’s service, Wendy Ho Sing is leaving but she has done some great work over the years.

She’s leaving on July 5, so we are working on the transitional arrangements.” Hilaire was responding on Tuesday to Dacon’s claims that Ho Sing and two directors recently submitted letters of resignation following instructions from the ministry to dispose of assets, namely Home Construction Ltd shares, pledged to the Clico policyholders statutory fund without actuarial valuations.

Last Sunday, Dacon told Newsday, “Under our laws and regulations, assets pledged to the policyholders statutory fund cannot be removed without first obtaining an actuarial valuation that says the fund will still be in surplus after the removal.” He questioned the legality of such instructions to the Central Bank appointees to the board, adding that this is what has triggered the reported resignations.

“If there is gross negligence in the performance of their (the government’s) duty, or what lawyers call malfeasance, people appointed (to Clico board) could be held personally liable for damages.” He argued this is “a criminal issue” to which Newsday asked Dacon if Duprey intends to take legal action.

“Ultimately that will come but the first action is to re-take control of CL Financial; the holding company that owns 51 per cent of Clico,” Dacon replied.

Regarding this, Newsday asked Hilaire if the Central Bank was worried about Duprey taking legal action in the future.

The governor said, “We do our job. We do our job on the Clico side to ensure a clean resolution. We are not worried.” Newsday also asked if Duprey was considered a fit and proper person, according to Central Bank criteria.

“If it comes up, we will have our views based on past information and what may have transpired before.

In that sense, we will act accordingly.” Hilaire spoke with Newsday after the presentation of 2016 Financial Stability Report at the Central Bank, Eric Williams Financial Complex, Port-of- Spain.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Colm Imbert, responding to Newsday’s questions via email on Monday evening, said, “the term of office of the present Clico board, appointed under the tenure of the previous administration, is coming to an end.” “That is all. Boards do not continue forever.

They have an expiry date. I am advised that a new board will be put in place by the Central Bank shortly,” Imbert stated.

Last week I wrote on the ‘zombification’ of our daily lives, where we fill any and every spare minute with our mobile phones.

Today’s article simply continues to build on this discussion. Admittedly, I have fallen into this category on many occasions, as the pace of life simply seems to have become so fast that we try to afford ourselves options to adapt.

The result of the rapidity of our daily lives, coupled with the increasing time requirements of our various individual activities, that concept of ‘family time’ is quickly becoming one week that can be squeezed in somewhere within a year, to accommodate the family vacation.

Where sometimes even on the family vacation, many of us are still ‘connected’. This is in no way designed to judge, based on the use of electronic devices, but to remind that communication between and among people, in person, provides value that can never be replaced by electronic interaction. One may proffer that it is easier said than done, and perhaps this may be true.

But we must at some point recognise that we need to ensure we connect to people, particularly those with whom we are closely related, to maintain and continue to develop strong bonds, and even simply to know what’s taking place in their daily lives.

I spoke about the very fast pace of daily life and its impact on encouraging family time, and while I do appreciate how challenging it has become to share our time, we must also recognise that time is the most expensive commodity, therefore how and with whom we invest it requires very careful consideration. Time invested in and with your family, your children, your friends and others of significance makes the difference in our daily lives, and has become something we almost have to think about to ensure it becomes ‘written into our schedules’. I have fallen prey to this fallacy of ‘not having time’ on so many occasions while attempting to do everything I felt needed to be done to ‘save the world’. While in this process, many times I myself became either one of the ‘mobile zombies’, or very detached with what and who may be right in front of you.

What do we do? The first thing is to recognise that time is something we generally do not get back, therefore invest it wisely.

Planning and embarking on outof- country vacations may not be easily manageable, so, a ‘staycation’ is certainly something to consider.

As a pre-teen, I recall some of the best times in my vacation period was spent by relatives in the southern part of Trinidad, where we spent 20 of 24 hours outdoors, playing in the rain, climbing trees, picking fruit, running from dogs and the many things children just do not experience as fully as they should. While an out-of-country vacation to an exciting destination is always wonderful, our country has been blessed with some of the most intriguing sights and sounds that can more than fill two months of vacation time, most without spending exorbitant figures.

Sometimes, time investment with the family can be as simple as making it a mission to have breakfast, lunch or dinner together, and chat about everyone’s day, including attending religious services.

Once the commitment has been made to dine together as a family, the commitment should be followed with a ban of electronics for that specific period, where all attention and interest is placed on the people around. These are my son’s favourite times, and the cost – only time.

There was an overwhelming response on the opening day as a total of 70 children were present and ready to play and learn. Also visiting to share their cricketing experience were national cricketers Rayad Emrit, Sunil Narine, Kevon Cooper and Nicholas Pooran.

An overjoyed founder and director of the AK Academy, Arvind Kumar, stated, “It has always been a dream of mine to start an academy because I started coaching since I was 16 years old.

“Having a passion for the game and love for kids, I decided to merge the both so I contacted a few friends Shameer Mohammed, Ziyaad Ali and my brother Deepak Kumar, and now I have achieved a dream.” The Academy will have sessions every Saturday morning and the main focus is on improving techniques as well as the knowledge and understanding of the game.

Sessions will be overseen by four qualified coaches and nine assistants, including three females, to ensure players become more balanced by having both practical and theoretical sessions.

Special mention for their assistance goes to Ram’s Poultry and Minimart, GemPro Security Services, A&A Properties and Frank & Chandra Kumar.

Words are powerful and can give life to or bring death to situations.

The Bible tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue.

The more we speak negative words, the more we call negativity into being.

Some parents speak negative words to their children such as: “I don’t think you are capable.

Books are not for you. You are a good-for-nothing. You are so stupid.” There are others who speak negative words about our country.

Let us from now on speak positive words to our children, country and when we face difficult situations in life.

The words we speak are seeds we sow that will one day bring a harvest.

What kind of harvest do you want to reap? It all depends on the words that come out of your mouths.

Are they positive or negative? Positive words give you power over difficult circumstances and can uplift others.

ANDRE ROBERTS via email

She says last week’s Second Oil and Gas Law Conference at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre was testimony to the abiding faith of the faculty in the oil and gas sector in this country and the region. Antoine said just last year the faculty was worrying whether the conference would lose “some of its buzz” but this year it was “re-energised not to mention bpTT’s recent gas finds in this country.” She added that while the faculty fully supports the need for diversification, it believes that the oil and gas sector remains a key industry in the country and the region and decided to continue staging the conference. Day One of the two-day conference was themed Exploring the legal framework for Oil and Gas Law, while the second day focused on The Trinidad Experience: Setting the Context and Lessons Learnt.

She said when the first conference was held three years ago, it was because of the faculty’s recognition that the oil and gas and energy sector is a deeply significant one and the faculty needed to be at the forefront of developing its jurisprudence and scholarship. She said despite the short time since that first conference, it had grown, and in addition to an impressive roster of participants from this country it had also attracted participation regionally as well as internationally. She said the first Oil and Gas Conference was a resounding success and confirmed the view that a law space to discuss key issues about oil, gas and energy is sorely needed in the region. “What better institution than the University of the West Indies, the thought leader in the region, and primary research and scholarship engine to initiate and guide this.” In addition, she said recent oil and gas discoveries in the region had seen several territories trying to develop their own oil and gas industries, with Guyana being the most significant. The UWI Law faculty believed it had an obligation to offer intellectual leadership to these efforts and equally that the conference should pay “some attention to helping to build the capacity of Guyana’s sector,” a view she said was happily shared by the faculty’s stakeholders. She said the fact that the conference chairman, Alicia Elias-Roberts is Guyanese, seemed to suggest that “all of the pieces were coming together.” She said the focus of the second conference, held from June 8-9, was on local content in the oil and gas sector and examined the extent to which the sector was making use of local labour, goods and services. “It is essential to project the role of local content within the broader socio-economic goals of the country. The government must seek to create value beyond the petroleum sector itself and must access resources and capability.

A comprehensive understanding of the role and principles of this local content is therefore vital.” The conference also looked at the good governance issues in management of energy resources which she said were always important: issues such as preventing and curbing corruption and the “particular weaknesses” of emerging economies where this was concerned. According to Antoine, the issue was centered around the need to develop a “technocratic management elite” in an emerging economy which would be independent from political influence. A team that would be able to manage the oil and gas resources for the nation, as opposed to a political elite operating in collusion with global energy producers to further their own interests at the expense of the society they are supposed to serve. She pointed to Brazil as an example. She said the conference would provide lessons for non-lawyers, adding, “Of course I am not suggesting that lawyers don’t need to know about corruption and the like or do not act in their own self-interest, but we are inclusive – it is multi-disciplinary.” The conference also explored the role of environmental accounting and regulations in shale gas exploration.

The conference has been attracting increasing interest from foreign universities, international organisations and many top law firms in the region. There was a delegation from Coventry University in the United Kingdom, including some of the top lecturers in the university’s Law faculty as well as some students. Antoine said the UWI Faculty of Law has a Memorandum of Understanding with Coventry University.

She welcomed back bpTT as the premiere sponsor of the conference, noting that the company was a sponsor of the first conference. In fact, she said the company was more than a sponsor but a mentor as well, and thanked the other sponsors, Shell and EOG resources.

Giselle Thompson, vice president, Corporate Operations at bpTT, seconded Antoine’s view that despite the need for Trinidad and Tobago to advance its diversification, the oil and gas sector remained important as a bridge in that transition. She said bpTT had benefitted from this country’s stable political and legal environment, as well as its broad commitment to the sanctity of contracts. She said bpTT had recently announced the conclusion of negotiations with the National Gas Company (NGC) for a new gas sales agreement to replace a 20-year agreement which expires in 2018. “This agreement is important because it was a prerequisite to continued investments, the first of which is the Angelin Project.

In the long term, it will serve as the basis for future investment decisions.” She added that bpTT’s recent announcement of the discovery of two trillion cubic feet of natural gas in its Savannah and Macadamia exploration wells served to underscore the point that this country continues to have a strong future in the energy sector. “Success in exploration, the completion of key agreements and the sanction of our latest project, Angelin, set a strong platform for activity and growth over the medium to long term. With these projects, along with activities by other operators in the sector, it is important for us as a country to continue to strengthen the legal and regulatory frameworks to ensure that they are responsive to the needs of the industry and that the country derives maximum benefits.” She said that future success also depended on strengthening collaboration across the sector and progress was already being made in this area through the establishment of the Trinidad and Tobago Upstream Operators Association. Stronger collaboration across the sector, she said, will allow everyone to improve efficiencies and reduce waste and costs as the industry tried to reset its operations to survive in a very tough energy world.

Head of Legal for Shell Trinidad and Tobago, Michael Short, said that oil and gas companies in this country, working with the government, are radically rethinking and retooling to find significant opportunities to reverse the current declines in production. He said their successes were highlighted in recent headlines, and oil and gas lawyers, such as those attending the conference, had a chance to work on those projects and to make a difference and ensure that Trinidad secures the energy future for the next generation.

The organisers of the conference did manage to attract a lawyer from Guyana, barrister at law, Nigel Hughes, a partner in the firm Hughes Fields and Stoby. Stoby is also director of the Guyana Oil and Gas Association, a body he formed to ensure the responsible development of Guyana’s new oil and gas industry. He urged the conference to understand and forgive, the “muted enthusiasm” of the citizens of Guyana who are uncertain whether the country has the capacity to efficiently manage and protect the newly found energy resource for the short, medium and long-term benefits of the country and the region. He said outside Guyana there is wild excitement over the historic oil and gas discovery at Liza and the potential for even greater discoveries. However, he said the reality was that Guyana has no history of managing oil and gas and has set itself the “rather ambitious” target of beginning production between 2019 and 2020, a decision which “may have been driven by considerations other than the best expert industry advice.” He said this was exactly why the Guyanese people deeply appreciate and hope to benefit from Trinidad and Tobago’s long history and experience in the oil and gas industry and from the Oil and Gas Conference. “The need for collaboration and synergies is selfevident.”