Camille off to Kenya

CAMILLE Robinson-Regis, Planning Minister, is heading to two UN environment forums in Kenya to support efforts to save the planet.

She will lead a team to the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum (March 8-10) and the 4th Session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 4) (March 11-15.)

There she will address the assembly on activities related to this country’s development strategy Vision 2030, her ministry said in a statement yesterday.

This includes the Government’s plan to ban polystyrene products in the food and beverage sector, now being addressed by the Attorney General’s Office and Trade Ministry.

The statement said the Government recently approved a beverage containers deposit refund policy, to establish an efficient recovery system for recyclables.

The Government ratified the Paris Agreement in February to cut greenhouse gas emissions. TT also signalled its opposition to global warming and ozone depletion by signing the Kigali Amendment of the Montreal Protocol in November 2017, to curb the use of environmentally-unsound gases in air-conditioning and refrigeration.

The statement said, “We have come as far ahead as to ban the import of some of the more harmful refrigerants and we are conducting ongoing training for technicians in the A/C and refrigeration sectors in the use of newer, safer technology.

“Minister Robinson-Regis states that having done all of this, there is still more to be done, and TT’s presence at the UNEA 4 signals to the world and the citizens of TT that we must all strengthen our efforts to play a greater part for the preservation of our planet and ultimately our existence.”