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Just Energy Transition Policy for T&T: UWI STA leads in Impactful, Timely research on a Global stage

For Release Upon Receipt - December 6, 2024

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago. December 6, 2024 – Three researchers at the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies have had their transformational report on a Just Energy Transition for Trinidad and Tobago published following The “Policy Dialogue for Just Energy Transitions: Identifying Pathways to Prosperity Post Fossil Fuels”, co-hosted by Climate Strategies and Salzburg Global Seminar September, 2024.

 Lead UWI Researcher and PhD candidate Mr. Randy Ramadhar Singh, recipient of a Salzburg Global Fellowship collaborated with other UWI colleagues and PhD Supervisors, Dr. Ricardo Clarke and Dr. Xsitaaz T. Chadee of the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology to complete a briefing with recommendations for a proposed Just Energy Transition Policy for Trinidad and Tobago that can support decision makers. The process involved six months of intensive research and collaboration with high level technocrats, international agencies, global development banks, civil society, and academia.

 Much of the world has recognised the need to transition away from Fossil Fuels. Still the ‘how’ of this transition, in a way that is fair, balanced, and inclusive remains up for debate. This programme gathered policymakers from the Ministries of: Energy and Energy Industries Mr. Timmy Baksh, Planning and Development Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh, Labour Ms. Omalisa Baldeo and Public Utilities Ms. Gale Dulal from Trinidad and Tobago, researchers from oil and gas-producing countries as well as multilateral agencies including the World Bank, European Commission and civil society groups to explore actionable pathways toward sustainable and equitable energy systems.  

 The report noted that Trinidad and Tobago is at a crossroads as it embarks on the transition from a hydrocarbon-based economy to a more diversified low carbon economy for continued prosperity. Further, the country’s commitments to multilateral agreements, including the Paris Agreement, require the uptake of renewables and the implementation of enhanced energy efficiency measures to cut carbon emissions.

 A shift to include renewables for power generation for Trinidad and Tobago, a natural gas exporter with a relatively large downstream sector, and with 100% electricity powered by this fuel, would lower CO2 emissions, create energy security, and offer financial benefits. The State could sell surplus gas to domestic downstream manufacturers for petrochemical production processes that entail a lower overall carbon footprint than gas combustion.

 The country briefing suggests that lower carbon manufacturing must be a policy priority to prevent market contractions due to increased demand for lower carbon products from trading partners. In fact, an overarching decarbonisation pathway should be developed that integrates the key tenets of energy justice (procedural, distributional and recognitional) in all processes and legislative instruments. Such a decarbonisation pathway, or roadmap, would clearly identify decision points, achievements and timelines to meet the Nationally Determined Contribution. These include a conditional commitment to 15% GHG emissions reduction by 2030, from a 2013 baseline, across the three sectors: power generation, transportation and industrial, and achieve 30% renewable energy power production by 2030.

 Among the key recommendations were an accelerated diversification of national revenues towards new and enhanced sources of non-fossil fuel income - sustainable agriculture, increased tourism, expansion of the services sector (telecommunications, financial services) and new lower carbon or green manufacturing industries.

 The proposal calls for amendments to the T&TEC and RIC Acts of Parliament to enable residential and corporate consumers to generate their own electricity by feed-in tariffs and net metering. These and other recommendations require working with the private and industrial sector to develop lower carbon LNG cargoes and downstream petrochemical manufacturing. This would cushion the impacts of tariffs and levies from border adjustment mechanisms that are expected to significantly affect profitability of sales, and thus also state income.

 The full report can be accessed here-

Prosperity Post Fossil Fuels Briefing: Trinidad and Tobago - Climate Strategies

 For further information, contact Mr. Ramadhar Singh at randy.ramadharsingh@uwi.edu or the Department of Physics at 662-2002 ext. 83113.

 About the Policy Dialogue on Just Energy Transitions

The Policy Dialogue on Just Energy Transitions: Identifying Pathways to Prosperity Post Fossil Fuels aimed to increase capacity and confidence in strategies that acknowledge the challenges faced by oil and gas dependent countries, enable participants to envision and enact climate compatible development plans, and foreground viable economic diversification strategies with attention to protecting vulnerable communities. The first iteration of the dialogue took place from September 8 – 12, 2024 in Salzburg, Austria.

 About Climate Strategies (CS)

Climate Strategies is an international, not-for-profit research network with a Secretariat based in the UK and the Netherlands. Its international network includes some of the foremost thinkers and researchers on a range of multidisciplinary climate change topics. Climate Strategies enables its members and other researchers to place impact at the heart of their research, catalysing climate action by providing robust evidence for decision making and facilitating meaningful interactions between decision-makers and researchers.

 About Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS)

Salzburg Global Seminar is an independent non-profit organization with a mission to challenge current and future leaders to shape a better world. Founded in 1947 as a centre for post-war dialogue and reconciliation, for 75 years Salzburg Global Seminar has worked to catalyse new perspectives, ideas, and collaborations that shape more peaceful, equitable, and just societies.

 About The University of the West Indies

 The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is the Caribbean’s premier, higher education institution. One of only two regional universities in the world, it comprises five campuses across the English-speaking Caribbean and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. The UWI has been consistently ranked among the best in the world by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE).

Learn more at www.uwi.edu

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