Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) has high carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per capita, even though the country contributes less than 1% global GHG emissions. In T&T, approximately 80% of total annual emissions are from the power generation and industrial sectors. As a ratified signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement, T&T has shown its commitment to combating climate change via its Nationally Determine Contribution (NDC). The country has made conditional and unconditional pledges to reduce its carbon footprint by 2030 as compared to 2013 levels; with a 15% reduction in its cumulative carbon emissions in the power generation, transport and industrialised sectors (equivalent to 103 MtCO2e) and an unconditional % reduction in GHG emissions in the public transportation sector (equivalent to 1.7 MtCO2e). More information on the volumes of GHG emissions from the industrial sector is required if the country is to successfully reduce its GHG emissions and its contribution to global warming, since a level of uncertainty possibly exists with the current estimates of emissions in T&T. This is because estimates have been conducted using default Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission factors (EF) and thus actual emission levels may be overestimated.

Existing available data illustrates a discrepancy between natural gas production and consumption volumes in T&T. The data from the monthly bulletins from the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI) show that there is a variance between the natural gas volumes produced versus the amount consumed per day in T&T. This study will attempt to reduce the suspected uncertainties with respect to fugitive GHG emissions volumes via use of different quantification techniques.

This research will stand to benefit the country in a myriad of ways, as GHG estimates are the starting point for climate mitigative actions and achievement of NDC goals. Once the reasons for the variance between natural gas consumption and production are unearthed, there exists an opportunity for potential recovery and monetisation. This postgraduate work is in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development goals, as the study deals with alleviating the fallout of climate change in T&T and has the potential to contribute to economic benefits to the country.