Monetising Climate Change

Climate Change, beyond its obvious threat to geography and biodiversity is a human impacting, nonpartisan and global issue. Since this 'Change' is not going to go away it makes sense for youngsters entering the world of work to choose careers that have or are open to, adaptation to the issue. Further to this adults, many of whom are already committed to particular vocational paths and can not necessarily jump the occupational ship as it were, should also take steps to protect their working environment against CC.     

  In Trinidad and Tobago, and indeed this may hold true for the wider Caribbean region, adaptation does not require full scale innovation and can fit hand in glove with what transpires daily. But it requires people to understand the harm, the negative impact old practices take to the environment, as well as the measures that must be taken to 'disachieve' those threats. 

 To say it differently and as concerns opportunism or monetising climate change, shopkeepers - to use a case everyone is now familiar with; by coming to understand that chlorofluorcarbon (CFC) is both greenhouse gas and an ozone depleting substance may find merit to seek out and stock suitable 'cleaner' aerosol alternatives like foam blowing water, carbon dioxide, hydro carbons and hydrochlorofluorcarbons. That's cleaner shopkeeping. 

 In another example and to cite what is now common practice in a slightly bigger industry - airconditioning, AC manufacturers initially replaced CFC with hydrochlorofluorcarbon (HCFC), and then made a global change to hydrofluorcarbons (HFC). This strengthens the argument that all careers do not need to change radically in the face of climate change, they merely need to seek alternatives. And to emphasise. The typical AC unit looks the same, costs the same even if it now uses a cooling gas that is far 'climate friendlier'.        

 But coming back to us here in T&T. One of our commitments to dealing with Climate Change requires us as a country to use cleaner and less fuel - hence Government's push to switch to Compressed Natural Gas, widen the use of public transport, etcetera etcetera. Its adaptation in gear true, but there is still a huge segment of our population that makes its daily bread in other areas and they too must step up. 

 So in broad terms but keeping in mind the aircon example; water, agriculture and derivative - the food business, general construction, land use planning, law, indeed almost all the trades and professions, need to modify, to factor in climate change. Sure, as stated earlier it seems youth are the ones best positioned to walk into the future workplace armed with climate change knowhow.  But that's going to take time, five ten years if even that. Unfortunately Trinidad and Tobago just doesn't have that luxury. Haven't you heard? Climate Change is not promised, its here.