SUNDAY 3rd may, 2015 – UWI TODAY
11
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
Ryan Deosaran is not a graduate of the UWI;
but he was
mentored by two eminent graduates, and guided in the
emerging field that proposes to deal with climate change by
measuring and monetizing emissions. He is one of a growing
number of graduates from the Greenhouse Gas Management
Institute – a virtual organization – and a conscientious citizen
of the world acting to reduce the earth’s warming temperature.
The distribution centre in northwest Trinidad for an ice
creammanufacturing company seems a strange place tomeet a
greenhouse gas management professional. “We are measuring
our carbon footprint,” Ryan Deosaran, ice cream distributor,
assures me. “And we will be seeking ways to offset it.”
His company is developing and will soon launch an
environmental awareness programme for children. “Young
people in Trinidad and Tobago are not aware of the effects of
climate change and the importance of sustainability.”
When he graduated from St Mary’s College in 2003,
Deosaran’s expectations were simple. He went off that same year
to the University of Leeds and earned a first degree in Civil and
Environmental Engineering (2006). He planned to go further in
environmental studies, but a life-threatening event intervened.
When he couldn’t continue environmental studies at Harvard,
he was advised by Angela Cropper to enrol in on-line courses
at the GHG Management Institute.
Deosaran is grateful that icons of environmental studies
like Angela Cropper and Professor John Agard took an interest
in his journey.
“Angela Cropper mentored me. We discussed the
importance of being able to measure what the world was
trying to reduce (GHG emissions). Professor Agard, Michael
Gillenwater (Founder of GHGMI) and Kishan Kumarsingh
(of the Ministry of the Environment in Trinidad and Tobago)
have all helped with numerous meetings and countless pieces
of advice. Professor Agard especially gave a lot of his time to
discuss the potential of my independent research, as well as his
views on Trinidad and Tobago in the context of climate change.”
In2007, Cropper hadbeenUNAssistant Secretary-General
and Deputy Director of the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), appointed by Sec-Gen Ban Ki-Moon.
In that year, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to the
Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al
Gore for their work in bringing attention to climate change
and the environment. Head of UWI’s Department of Life
Sciences, Professor John Agard, was a member of the IPCC.
In November 2007, the GHG Management Institute was
established by persons who had been involved in developing
compliance mechanisms for the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change. It was launched as the first global training
institution focused on GHG management. It was built as an
on-line university with academic policies and a comprehensive
curriculum. Learning can take place any time, any place.
“I took one course, then another, then another and
another.” Deosaran is Triple Certified in GHG Offset Projects,
AdvancedGHGAccounting andGHGVerification. He also has
the Diploma –GHGMeasurement, Reporting andVerification,
which attests to proficiency in Introduction to CarbonMarkets;
Basics of Organizational and Project-level GHG Accounting;
Accounting for Forest Inventories, for Landfill Methane
Projects and for Renewable Energy Projects; Navigating Kyoto
Project Mechanisms and Verification for Inventories and
Projects. He is now a member of the Society of Greenhouse
Gas Professionals, and an Ambassador for the Institute.
Later this year, Deosaran will have his Master’s in
Environmental Management (specialization in Climate
Change) from the University of Derby, England.
In Trinidad, Deosaran recently developed and
administered a survey to assess the feasibility of carbonmarket
studies in Trinidad and Tobago. The majority of respondents
are concerned about the effects of climate change, and many
are willing to support or participate in some way towards
offsetting or reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For the most
part, Trinbagonians are ignorant of the relationship between
greenhouse gas emissions and climate change; in doubt about
an individual’s or company’s capability to affect changes, and
even less knowledgeable about the growing trend in emissions
trading.
The questions that garnered the highest levels of agreement
among respondents were:
Do the effects of climate change concern you?
Do you believe it is your responsibility as a member of the
global population to help in mitigating climate change?
Would you be willing to participate in programmes
(reforestation, renewable energy or energy efficiency
projects, sponsoring educational materials, clearing
waterways etc) to mitigate climate change?
Do you believe the Government of Trinidad and Tobago
has provided you with enough information n the topic of
climate change to understand its causes, threats, and how to
mitigate its effects?
In response to these questions, nearly 90% are concerned
about climate change. People feel that they don’t know enough
and are not empowered. Most believe that the Government
needs to do more.
Fewer respondents perceive greenhouse gas accounting as
a possible career choice. One-third responded positively to the
question, If the necessary education and training were provided,
would you consider a job in the fields of carbon management
and/or greenhouse gas accounting that are necessary for the
projects mentioned?
His purpose is to use the results of the survey as a baseline
for attitude change, while building awareness among main
sectors of the population: government, corporate and the
general public. He was pleased that the Energy Chamber was
recently reported (Radhica Sookraj, Trinidad GuardianMarch
25, 2015) to be piloting a proposal to reduce carbon emissions
and generate carbon credits with potential earnings over US$3
billion.
Where climate change is concerned, the survey indicates
that the Government should be leading from the front.
Not enough is known about the Government’s policy and
commitments to the UN protocol.
KishanKumarsingh, head of theMultilateral Environment
Agreements Unit of the Ministry of the Environment and
Water Resources, was the co-chair (representing Small Island
Developing States) with the European Union’s Artur Runge-
Metzger, of a working group at the United Nations Climate
Change Conference that took place in Warsaw, Poland in
November 2013. He is expected to lead the TT delegation to
the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be
held in Paris in December.
This conference objective is to achieve a “legally binding”
and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of
the world. The ultimate goal of the Convention is to reduce
“greenhouse gas” emissions in order to limit global temperature
increase to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Climate change is the single issue which demands that
all humans, all populations, all nations, act together. What
might one person do? He can influence the attitudes of
friends, business associates and the younger generation. Ryan
Deosaran believes that the change is starting; he intends to
give it momentum.
R y a n De o s a r a n i s
conducting
independent
research on the feasibility
o f vo l un t a r y c a r bon
markets and frameworks
in Small Island Developing
States (SIDS) that he
hopes will lead to more
accurate GHG emission
inventories. This extract
is from his preliminary report published on the
GHG Management Institute’s website.
Our population of 1.3 million thrives on its
energy-based economy. While our emissions
are relatively low, we are one of the highest
emitters of CO2 equivalent per capita in the
world. This study was designed to gauge public
knowledge on climate change, discern a baseline
of current GHG reduction activities, and assess
the willingness of a fairly broad range of citizens
– including households, business owners, and
students – to participate in voluntary carbon
markets and GHG reduction/offset programmes.
The results revealed a sense of personal
responsibility and an urgent desire for solution-
oriented thinking: 87.7% of respondents saw
themselves as global citizens with a duty to help
the overall situation. Selected results include:
The
G
reenhouse
G
as
Accountant
B y P A T G A N A S E
91.6% were concerned about the effects of
climate change in the country.
80% were willing to engage in energy
efficiency exercises to reduce their carbon
footprint.
58% of the par ticipants indicated a
willingness to purchase carbon credits
from approved programmes to offset some
of their GHG emissions (e.g. GHG emissions
fromair travel and fuel purchases frommotor
vehicles.)
Of the 40 corporate entities surveyed,
24 (60%) of the respondents indicated a
willingness to participate in carbon emission
trading schemes such as cap and trade
systems.
Over 87% were willing to participate in a
personal pledge reduction programme
with GHG reduction activities to be done if
pledged reductions were not met.
58% chose participating in voluntary GHG
emission reduction programmes over a
standardized carbon tax.”
Source:
-
markets-and-frameworks-in-small-island-developing-states/
