conference magazine - Caribbean Environmental Health Institute

Parallel Session 7– Climate Change and
Appropriate Technology (Negril Room)
Energy Efficiency and Carbon Emission Reduction: a review
of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) by
Denise Simmons and Paulette Bynoe
Climate change is recognized universally as a major threat that is
likely to have dire consequences to natural, social, economic and
human capital, given recently predicted impacts on water resources,
ecosystems and coasts, food supplies and health. According
to the Stern Review (2006) the economic costs of climate
change impacts are between 5 and 20 per cent of global GDP, and
possibly much higher. Thus, there is international agreement that
nations of the World must now aim to stabilise levels of atmospheric
greenhouse gases at 445-490 parts per million CO2e or
less in an effort to avoid any catastrophe.
One of the most effective ways of stabilising greenhouse gas levels
is the implementation of mitigation measures with regard to
energy supply and use which could account for 60 to 80 per cent
of GHG reductions. It is a measure that should be considered non
-negotiable by developed, emerging, and developing countries.
Guyana is heavily reliant on importation of petroleum products
which accounts for about 70% of primary energy supply. In fact the
country imports approximately 10,400 barrels per day, with petroleum
imports for 2008 representing about 44% of Guyana’s official
GDP. To a lesser extent, bagasse, fuelwood and solar power also
provide the energy supply required. Notwithstanding this, Guyana’s
CO2 emissions are low: an estimate of CO2 emissions done
for the reference year 1994 for Guyana’s Initial National Communication
revealed that CO2 emissions are 1446 Gg. Given the vast
extent of the Guyana’s forest resources, the country is considered
a net sink country. As a front-runner in the Caribbean Community
(Caricom), Guyana in 2009, launched its Low Carbon Development
Strategy (LCDS) that sets out the national position on how
such a platform for partnership can be created, and affirms its
commitment to play its part. It further seeks to provide insights on
how to stimulate the creation of a low-deforestation, low-carbon,
climate-resilient economy.
This paper is aimed at reviewing Guyana’s LCDS in light of the
vital role of energy supply and use in the fight against climate
change. In particular, it will clearly analyse the role envisaged for
renewables (given that about 70 per cent of Guyana’s energy supply
is sourced from fossil fuels), and importantly, energy efficiency
as an aspect of mitigation. Possible gaps will be discussed and
policy recommendations will be provided.
Promotion of Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) in Caribbean Small
Island Developing States by Christopher Cox
The Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) has been
collaborating with the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) since 2005 in the promotion of Rainwater Harvesting
(RWH) across the Caribbean as part of a global effort aimed at
promoting water security across all ranges of use from household to
agricultural to commercial and industrial applications. The use of RWH
as a water augmentation measure is considered a key adaptation strategy
to address the impacts of climate change where experts are forecasting
that the precipitation regime in the Caribbean will shift towards
less annual rainfall accumulation, with an increase in the frequency of
extreme events, notably droughts and hurricanes. This will have significant
implications in the context of watershed and aquifer recharge
which will impact water withdrawals to maintain demand. Already,
many Caribbean countries face challenges in meeting peak demands
under normal conditions, but as the 2009-2010 drought demonstrated,
water management and water security must be given high priority attention.
This paper intends to highlight the work carried out under the
cooperative efforts between UNEP and CEHI with contributions from
local and regional agency partners in promoting RWH. It will focus on
achievements in Grenada and Antigua & Barbuda as pilot countries in
the formulation of a RWH National Programme of Action (Grenada),
development of a Caribbean Regional RWH Programme, the installation
of best-practice demonstrations for RWH within building infrastructure,
the application of geographic information system (GIS)-assisted
mapping of water availability as guidance for investment in RWH, the
application of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) techniques using rainwater
runoff, and the production of public education material including
a Handbook on RWH for the Caribbean. The outputs from the initiative
will contribute to the body of knowledge on the practice to assist and
drive policy towards incorporation of RWH within national integrated
water resources management policies and plans.
Climate changes in the Caribbean and implications on renewable
energy resources for the region by Jorge Gonzalez
Assessment of renewable energy resources such as surface solar
radiation and wind current has great relevance in the development of
local and regional energy policies.
This paper examines the variability and availability of these resources
as a function of possible climate changes for the Caribbean region.
Global climate changes have been reported in the last decades, causing
changes in the atmospheric dynamics, which affects the net solar
radiation balance at the surface and the wind strength and direction.
For this investigation, the future climate changes for the Caribbean are
predicted using the parallel climate model (PCM) and it is coupled with
the regional atmospheric modelling system to simulate the solar and
wind energy spatial patterns changes for the specific case of the island
of Puerto Rico. Numerical results from PCM indicate that the Caribbean
basin from 2041 to 2055 will experience a slight decrease in the
net surface solar radiation (with respect to the years 1996–2010),
which is more pronounced in the western Caribbean sea. Results also
indicate that the easterly winds have a tendency to increase in its magnitude,
especially from the years 2070 to 2098. The regional model
showed that important areas to collect solar energy are located in the
eastern side of Puerto Rico, while the more intense wind speed is
placed around the coast. A future climate change is expected in the
Caribbean that will result in higher energy demands, but both renewable
energy sources will have enough intensity to be used in the future
as alternative energy resources to mitigate future climate changes.
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FIFTH BIENNIAL CARIBBEAN ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM AND EXHIBITION