00:00Minister Jolene John says the conversation about sustainability has to move beyond conference rooms and into the streets.
00:09She pointed to recent drain cleaning works along South Quay, Port of Spain, where crews found plastic bottles, garbage and
00:19grease blocking the drainage system.
00:21So we blame climate change, but that drain was not sealed by climate change.
00:26In fact, that drain was sealed by human habits.
00:28Human beings making a conscious decision to throw garbage and oil into the drainage system.
00:33John says the consequences are real, particularly when heavy rainfall hits.
00:39She says the government continues to spend hundreds of millions of dollars cleaning drains, money, she argues, that could be
00:48redirected to other areas if people stopped practices that contribute to flooding.
00:54So we cannot build resilience on indiscipline.
00:58So it starts there, that's ground zero.
00:59We cannot have a serious conversation about sustainability and the future of business while treating the environment immediately outside our
01:06own door as somebody else's responsibility.
01:08She highlighted a major cleanup near Hilton, Trinidad, where she says garbage had accumulated along a lay-by and surrounding
01:17areas.
01:18John says corporate social responsibility must go beyond sponsoring conferences and must include meaningful investment in people and communities.
01:28But corporate social responsibility should not be performative.
01:32It should be a genuine interest and commitment to do better for Trinidad and Tobago and it's not isolated to
01:37the business and your bottom line because you have to treat with people.
01:41John says building resilience also means preparing Trinidad and Tobago to compete internationally.
01:48She pointed to countries such as Singapore, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, saying they have deliberately positioned themselves to attract investment
01:58and pursue new opportunities.
02:00John also highlighted ongoing efforts to revive the country's iron and steel industry, saying the proposed investment includes an initial
02:10U.S. $250 million injection, followed by U.S. $750 million for expansion and modernization.
02:19First production is targeted for the end of 2027.
02:25Feshano Pagu, TV6 News.
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