After an oil spill paralysed the small community of Lambeau for the better part of 2024, villagers there are only now coming to grasp the scope of their loss. Over the twelve months ensuing, Environment Tobago has witnessed income loss and other serious inconveniences among fishers, hoteliers and the small business interests that (typically) comprise small island life. We have also seen the dramatic impact oil pollution has had on the ordinary people who once depended on the Petit Trou beach as well as the coastal road for recreation. Adding to this, the spill also ravaged the Petit Trou lagoon, despoiling swathes of mangrove and killing wildlife in quantities unknown.
Redress is becoming just a fading conversation, as is hope for assistance (after the fact) from the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund. While acknowledging the business of acquiring monetary help from outside is not within the remit of this NGO we do want to speak about this year’s concern: What if the Lambeau coastline is impacted again by an oil spill or hit by storm surge? Both are within the realm of possibility. The incidence of several wars, in as many theaters - all needing oil to fuel the fighting, finds Tobago on the leeward side of an ocean chock-a-block wth ships ferrying toxic tonnage. The more recent vitriolic dialogues between the US and Venezuela - and Venezuela with Guyana, leaves one to wonder what are Tobago’s chances of remaining un-hit despite being nearly neutral. The odds are not good. This raises the issue of cultivating a hedge - though it should really be viewed as an edge; Thus. Building Tobago’s resiliency to untoward incidents - whether induced by nature or foisted by man is probably the best bet.
Resiliency today is pretty much the buzz, though its more used in the Adaptation to Climate Change context. How to shape things then toward a risk profile where Risk = Toxic spill and or Storm surge? Fact of the matter its does not require fancy footwork. The ‘must do’ steps are identical to the recommendations provided by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (Steps are paraphrased beneath). Meaning Tobago now has to work on the following elements:
- Policy and Governance:
- Develop and enforce policies at all levels of government that promote sustainable land use, coastal planning, and climate resilience.
- Community Engagement:
- Involve local communities in identifying vulnerabilities, designing adaptation strategies, and implementing projects.
- Enhance infrastructure resilience:
- Upgrade existing infrastructure and design new infrastructure to withstand climate-related hazards like flooding and storm surges.
- Integrate Climate change strategy across the board:
- Incorporate climate change considerations into all development plans and investment decisions.
- Normalise Adaptation planning:
- Conduct thorough risk assessments to identify climate change impacts and develop targeted adaptation strategies.
- Practice Water Management:
- Implement strategies to manage water resources effectively, including flood protection and drought mitigation.
- Budget for Capacity building:
- Provide training and support to communities to build capacity to adapt to climate change.
- Use Local knowledge:
- Utilise local and traditional knowledge to inform adaptation strategies
- Employ Risk Assessment and Planning:
- Regularly assess climate risks and developing comprehensive plans to manage them.
See how ‘Risk’ fits into Tobago’s oil spill and surge scenario? While not wanting to go full-on into detailing Risk in this space, Environment Tobago does feel the island would be off to a fine start if coastal communities here move to rebuild, restore and preserve Nature’s buffers. Think of these as maintaining the natural infrastructure comprising functional wetlands and marshes, beaches with robust (natural) dunes. And, where it is necessary (a position arrived at by mature and modern decision-making), re-align via construction the backshore - above a practical contour; to factor land-use changes as well as climate-driven weather variability such as extreme rainfall.
Risk regarding (potentially) toxic substances entering Tobago nearshore is the more complex consideration. Because it requires dealing with negative (and elusive) externalities such as shipping - likely foreign-owned and operated, and answerable only to porous global maritime regulations. Such actors are long recognised as coming from three camps; those conforming, those who are unwilling to conform and those who would conveniently conform to marine legislation. Regulations aside, liability insurance ensures some measure of recompense might go to aggrieved party but not every toxic cargo vessel buys cover. As may probably be the case with the erstwhile barge Gulfstream which ran aground off Lambeau/Petit Trou last February.
Long story short. Tobago being better able to buffer its sensitivity to the hazards posed by spill or storm surge, devolves to a great extent on central government; On their understanding and appreciating the slew of risks involved and, having enough foresight to take the (political) steps that can mainstream this country into the global community using and regulating the world’s seas. Indeed for the purpose of addressing Lambeau’s needs it would seem that Trinidad and Tobago as a signatory to the maritime regulatory network - the SOLAS Convention, could find help within it. Hardly. The “Framework Convention on Safety of Life at Sea” (SOLAS- International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea), is an international maritime treaty that establishes minimum safety standards for the construction, equipment, and operation of merchant ships, ensuring their compliance with safety regulations to protect lives at sea: Essentially setting the framing for safe maritime operations globally.
But we opined ‘hardly’ as and notably, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) which implements SOLAS does not cater to compensation from transporter incidents, a practical something that the Lambeau community has repeatedly and so far unsuccessfully, sought. Oil (aka petrochemical) in transport however Is covered by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds mechanism. Consider though. “IOPC Funds provide financial compensation for oil pollution damage that occurs in Member States, resulting from spills of persistent oil from tankers”. But their fine print waives any responsibility to finance the restoration of natural asset damage; such as mangrove, reef or other coastal zones.
This forces the Tobago villagers affected by the 2024 spill to seek out alternative sources of financial help. Given the current geopolitical shenanigans playing out in the wider world, another externality with implications for reducing monetary assistance, Lambeau villagers and other disenfranchised parties may just have to suck up their losses and focus on building up Tobago’s level of resilience.
Environment Tobago note: The way foward for Lambeau villagers - indeed for all Tobago people, has to involve true appreciation of this island’s rapidly shifting climate and current geopolitical risk profile. This will mean drawing on realistic vulnerability assessments and then moving to mitigate and adapt in instances such as discussed up top - that can ‘rock Tobago’s boat’. There is the broader perspective to the Lambeau impasse, which involves environmental justice. But that as they say is a conversation for another day. As a relevant aside, if you have queries or comments on this article please contact us or drop a quick note on our Facebook page