The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) continues to demonstrate an unflagging commitment to climate action, through expansion of its Green Agenda portfolio of products and initiatives.
On September 29th 2023, at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, NGC launched a new online platform called the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Portal (CARP), which aims to keep citizens abreast of climate-driven changes impacting Trinidad and Tobago. Developed with the support of Coastal Dynamics Limited (CDL), CARP uses Geographic Information Services (GIS), artificial intelligence and predictive modelling to map and chart climate-related risks such as sea level rise, coastal erosion and vulnerability and maritime alerts. The portal also allows users to track temperature and precipitation, tidal information, air quality, deforestation, and even active adverse weather alerts. Other features such as best practices for adaptation from around the world, meteorological office forecasts, a climate adaptation and resilience news feed, and linkages to other GIS systems showing global trends, make CARP a comprehensive resource for climate information and decision support.
Mario Singh, Assistant Manager of Sustainability at NGC, emphasised the importance of adapting to climate change and building resilience in the face of its intensifying impacts. He stated, "NGC's CARP provides a single-source data-driven tool for visualising climate impacts in support of planning and decision-making around climate risks. As individuals, communities, and businesses, we must be prepared to adapt and become more resilient to the challenges ahead."
Mark Loquan, President of NGC, expressed his pride at the launch of this portal. He added: "Even as we push for mitigative climate action, we need to recognise there are some impacts of climate change that we may not be able to avoid. We therefore need to begin conversations around adaptation and resilience. CARP will allow us to ignite and fuel such conversations. It is not enough to advise citizens of how our world is changing - we need to encourage and equip them to proactively prepare for that future. Our long-term sustainability is ultimately a function of how well we can accommodate change.”
Minister of Energy Stuart Young also attended the event. He applauded the initiative from the NGC, as a national energy company and called for all energy related companies within the sector to incorporate similar initiatives into their operations. This initiative aligns with Trinidad and Tobago’s Vision 2030 development strategy and positions the country as a regional leader in the area of energy efficiency and resilience. Minister Young also stated that this initiative places Trinidad and Tobago as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) at the forefront in keeping with global climate trends.
Minister Young took the opportunity to encourage the young professionals and energy stakeholders in the room that we must also strike a balance between our decarbonization efforts and Trinidad and Tobago’s hydrocarbon-based economy which allows for benefits such as subsidized tertiary education.
