The University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica: UWI Journals
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The Fallacy in Future Generations’ Argument for Environmental Sustainability
Get PDFThe importance of a healthy environment cannot be overemphasized since a healthy environment is not only fundamental to our own health but is also our life-support system. Surprisingly, the state of our environment today bears a sour testimony to destructive anthropogenic activities. It suffices us to argue that untamed human activities on the environment have led to the degradation and pollution of the air, water and land; thereby threatening the existence of life on the planet earth. In response, many environmentally concerned scholars have come up with different arguments aimed at solving, as well as checking the environment from the apparent current spate of deterioration. The most noticeable argument among all is the one that anchors its vehemence of environmental sustainability on the interest of future generations. Consequently, this paper argues that the quest for environmental sustainability would be more plausible and less controversial should the efforts centre more on the present generation of all organisms. This view is predicated on the fact that, as currently advanced, the future generations’ argument is fallacious and cannot carry the burden of environmental sustainability that is predicated on it
Wilson Harris' Radical Imagination
Get PDFThis essay represents an exposition of Wilson Harris’ concept of the radical imagination and its application to the affairs of contemporary Caribbean. It starts by comparing and contrasting Harris’ conceptualisation of the imagination with other well-known ‘philosophers of the imagination’, namely, Kant, Levinas and Castoriadis. It then sheds further light on Harris radical imagination by comparing it to the folk imaginary of Caribbean people, specifically the Amerindian and Afro-Caribbean imaginary. It then offers examples of how this radical and creative imagination can be employed to achieve the long deferred freedom, equality and justice, the ideals upon which an independent Caribbean was founded
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the Production of Biofuels in Trinidad from Waste CO2 with Microalgae
No full textProducing third generation biofuels in Trinidad from waste carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial point sources with large-scale cultures of microalgae is one step, which might mitigate climate change and its adverse effects on the fragile ecosystems of the Caribbean. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a valuable tool to determine the sustainability of a process or product, by evaluating the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a production system. This paper seeks to examine the results generated by a LCA, based on the production of biofuel from microalgae, utilizing waste CO2, produced by the ammonia plants of Trinidad; and therefore determine the opportunities for improvements of the microalgae production process, with the aim of developing a sustainable microalgae biofuel production system.
Major CO2 emissions in Trinidad and Tobago derived from synthesis gas production, involved in the manufacture of commodities such as ammonia. Ammonia accounts for approximately 14% of the exports and 42% of the CO2 emissions from of Trinidad and Tobago. The potential ability of microalgae to minimise the greenhouse-gas emissions from petrochemical plants by biofixing CO2 makes the production of biofuel with microalgae attractive. In addition there are other environmental benefits to microalgal-derived biofuel, such as: production can be year-round in brackish water on non-arable land; microalgae can utilize nutrients from wastewater; and their potential rapid growth rate (some species can double their biomass in as short as 3.5 hours). However there are many challenges which are associated with the industrial scale production of biofuels.
The software package SimaPro was used to analyse the life cycle of biofuel produced from microalgae, using waste CO2 emitted from an ammonia plant and therefore the sustainability of the process. It was found that the utilization of the waste carbon dioxide in the microalgae production process had significant impacts in the production process when compared with algae that derived its nutrients from atmospheric sources. These benefits included reduced land requirements and reduction in the pollution caused from this process
Science,Technology and Innovation in CARICOM-A Journey into the past
No full textAlthough CARICOM has had forays with S&T activities,the Community has not been instrumental in assisting to install S&T infrastructures. S&T policies have been crafted but little implementation have occurred.
The small island states of CARICOM have therefore remained vulnerable to competition. It is accordingly proposed that execution and monitoring mechanisms be installed, as efforts be started to engage the larger Spanish-speaking islands to improve scale,skills and research capabilit
The Geographic Insolation Potential and Trinidad and Tobago’s Social Housing
No full textThe potential for using solar energy is often based on either its natural potential or economic prospects. The Geographic Insolation Potential is a new methodology for indexing residential solar energy that balances both paradigms. The index is made up of a Photovoltaic Surface Area Factor and Grid Parity Factor.
The research focused on the index’s applicability to the policies surrounding social housing in Trinidad and Tobago. Canada and the United States were also indexed. The index highlighted several weaknesses in Trinidad and Tobago’s national energy plans using the State of Hawaii as a case reference.
Trinidad and Tobago needs to adopt a short, medium and long-term policy framework. The short-term strategy involves energy consumption reduction and efficiency targets. The medium-term strategy fosters institutional collaborations that can access the local Green Fund to finance solar projects for social housing. The long-term plan reforms legislation and gradually removes the present energy subsidy
Exploring Professional Nursing Issues and Nurse Migration in Guyana: A Qualitative Study
No full textBackground: While it is known that migration of registered nurses from Guyana occurs often, little is known about professional nursing issues in Guyana and how these professional issues may influence the decision to migrate.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the role of female nurses in health care in Guyana, their working conditions and salary, the image of nursing in Guyana, and nurse-physician relationships and how these factors may influence the decision to migrate.
Methods: Nine female Guyanese nurses participated in a focus group with the authors. The focus group was recorded and transcribed verbatim.
Results: Three themes related to nursing professional issues were discussed: low perceived public image of nursing, lack of professional autonomy and poor nurse-physician relationships. All participants stated that they know nurses who have migrated from Guyana and that economic issues and desire to join family members who have migrated are the main factors in making the decision to migrate.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that the public image of nurses, working conditions and relationships with physicians are less than desirable for these nurses. Although economic issues were attributed to be the primary reason for migration from Guyana, the authors question whether improved working conditions and collegial relationships with physicians may act as a magnet to retain some nurses in Guyana.
Key Words: Guyana, Nursing Image; Professional Issues; Nurse Migration; Qualitative Researc
Student-Centeredness: A Concept Analysis
No full textThere is increasing interest in student-centeredness in higher education as an alternative to traditional teaching-learning methods; however, the term is often times overused and misunderstood. The concept of student-centeredness has been explored and interpreted in varying ways throughout the literature. It has been defined as a process, social environment as well as a teaching methodology within different disciplines. This paper applies the Avant and Walker Model, to analyse the concept of student-centeredness and its implications for nursing education and research
Linking Philosophy to the Caribbean through Comparative Examination of Rastafari and Popular Philosophical Discourses
Get PDFCaribbean people often view philosophy as a discipline which does not offer much value to Caribbean life and thus, people should not waste their time perusing such studies. My research is aimed at highlighting the fact that philosophy is an inseparable part of Caribbean life. The problem with accepting the value of philosophy and accepting that there is such a thing as Caribbean philosophy rests with the fact that certain systems of thought are not readily identified as philosophy. In addressing this problem of identifying Caribbean thoughts as philosophy, my research focuses on the similarities of Rastafari and classical as well as modern philosophical discourses. The reason for using Rastafari to make the claim for there being Caribbean philosophy is that Rastafari has more or less been accepted as a movement which originated in the region and has been recognised to hold philosophical significance.
The research firsts establishes definitions for the two major concepts which are focused on, that is, Rastafari and philosophy. After defining these concepts an examination of Rastafari’s core principles was undertaken, whereby the similarities between Rastafari and Western philosophical discourse was evidence enough to make the claim that even by the standards of Western philosophy, there is a Caribbean Philosophy. The study thus concludes that Rastafari presents itself as a unique Caribbean philosophy where its existential, epistemological and moral arguments are founded in the traditional definition of self or, the “I and I” concept
Panoptic Consequetialism
Get PDFAct Consequentialism, as it stands, is riddled with highly counterintuitive obligations that it requires of us. There are many examples of Act Consequentialism requiring us to commit acts that run diametrically opposed to our moral intuitions. Thus one of the major difficulties that Act Consequentialism face, is that since it runs so counter to our moral intuitions, how can it possibly be correct (assuming our intuitions can be relied upon)?
What I seek to show in this paper is how many of these problems inherent in Act Consequentialism can actually be solved by an alternative theory, which is more restricted and universalised than “consequentialism” per se, but not overly universalised like Kantianism or Rule Utilitarianism; a form of partially universalised consequentialism