Tuesday, March 11 2008

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MINISTER ON CLIMATE CHANGE: The Minister of Planning, Housing and the Environment, Emily Gaynor Dick-Forde, delivers her feature address at the openin...

The Ministry of Planning, Housing and the Environment has collaborated with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to host a three day workshop to highlight the importance of utilising socio-economic information as a tool in the fight against climate change.

At yesterday’s opening ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, Port-of-Spain, the feature address was delivered by Minister of Planning, Housing and the Environment, Emily Gaynor Dick-Forde.

She concentrated on how climate change has evolved into a “felt reality” because presently the science of the phenomenon is being experienced on a day to day basis. Impacts of climate change such as alterations in temperature and rainfall, increasing sea levels and more frequent weather events such as droughts and floods “are all part of a reality we cannot fail to notice”. She said that such a pressing issue “demands action now” and the implementation of the programme would be an important milestone for Trinidad and Tobago in its struggle against the range of impacts of climate change.

Mention was made of the government’s initiative to restructure and upgrade their statistical agency in an effort to strengthen the country’s sustainable platform.

She also highlighted the importance of building on the relevant information available at the institutions and agencies in the region to deal with climate change, and encouraged all regions to strive to improve their resources.

The Manager of UNFCCC Secretariat of the Adaptation, Youssef Nassef, also contributed to yesterday’s programme by discussing the importance of planning by small developing states like Trinidad and Tobago for the expected increased impacts caused by adverse climate change. According to him, in order to efficiently prepare for the impacts of climate change, socio- economic information is essential. He said that the provision of available and accessible information on climate change should be treated with “urgent priority” for all countries and although most countries have already undertaken measures to deal with the matter at hand, he believed that further enhancements were still necessary.

Nassef added that the provision of ample information was one of nine areas of work under the Nairobi Work Programme on the impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change undertaken by the UNFCCC.

Also speaking at yesterday’s ceremony was Helen Plume, representative from the Climate Change International Programme under the New Zealand’s Ministry of Environment. She encouraged the participation of all countries to improve their understanding and seek assistance in making informed decisions about dealing with climate change.