Event

The University of the West Indies hosts a Professorial Inaugural Lecture presented by Professor Rajendra Ramlogan titled “Environmental Democracy in Trinidad and Tobago: A Retrograde Step?”

The lecture will be held at Noor Hassanali Auditorium, Faculty of Law from 5:30pm.

All are invited.

ABSTRACT

Trinidad and Tobago, as many other developing nations, are seeking to attain sound economic developmental objectives while maintaining an appropriate level of environmental integrity.  To achieve this balance of integrating environmental protection mechanisms in the economic developmental decision-making process, the public must be vested with the right to have its views heard and meaningfully considered.  Environmental democracy looks at the ability of the public to participate fully, effectively and meaningfully in the environmental decision-making process while eschewing the influences that seek to limit or negate such participation. Trinidad and Tobago would appear to be moving towards promoting environmental democracy; the emerging reality would suggest, however, that the state and its many organs through laws, policies and actions, are taking a somewhat pusillanimous approach such that environmental democracy may even being moving in the wrong direction.