( gef ) and the climate investment funds ( cif ). here again, science and technology can help to leverage economic opportunities in the green economy. some areas are as follows : • devising engineering solutions such as sea defenses, hurricane resistant buildings and the provision of water storage ; • developing technological solutions such as using more resilient crops to protect critical biodiversity conservation ; • creating new incentive mechanisms such as payment for ecosystem services ; and • facilitating the transition to a low - carbon economy. the third frontier of growth opportunity relates to the “ silver economy. ” population ageing is a global phenomenon, which is having major implications on all aspects of human life in every society. this process is enduring and irreversible. in the caribbean, people are also living longer than ever before but not healthier. at the start of the 21st century, the elderly in the caribbean – persons 60 years or older – represented at least one - tenth of the population, larger than ever before in the history of the region. world bank research warns, however, that non - communicable diseases ( ncds ) are rising rapidly as the caribbean population ages. today, the four leading causes of death in the caribbean are all ncds – heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. in the caribbean, five times as many people are dying from ncds as from all other illnesses combined. in fact, these findings have spawned the creation of a rather interesting world bank blog entitled “ is bis central bankers ’ speeches fried chicken setting back development in the caribbean? ” alluding to the fact that unhealthy eating habits are a major risk factor for ncds. the expansion of ncds is increasing the economic burden on families and on already strained public health systems in the caribbean. in jamaica, for instance, an average individual suffering from ncds spends approximately one third of household income on healthcare services and medicine purchases. in the eastern caribbean, the annual cost for treating a diabetic is more than annual per capita spending for health care in the six countries of the eastern caribbean. again, there is a unique opportunity for scientists and economic policymakers to take advantage of the growth opportunities that arise from reducing the future burden of ncds, promoting healthy aging, and increasing the potential benefit from the demographic transition in the caribbean. and they must do it while ensuring that out - of - pocket health expenses do not inflict severe financial hardship on families, and while narrowing the gap in access to health services

jwala rambarran : shiva ’ s wrath – divali, creative destruction and central banking speech by mr jwala rambarran, governor of the central bank of trinidad and tobago, at the central bank of trinidad and tobago ’ s annual divali celebrations, port - of - spain, 25 october 2015. * * * sita ram, good evening and a warm welcome to every one of you who graciously accepted our invitation to attend central bank ’ s 2015 divali celebrations. this is the fourth year central bank has opened its divali celebrations to the public in this noteworthy manner... and it ’ s truly our honour to give this valuable gift of art and culture to our country during the festive divali season. in 2012, when we started these more engaging divali celebrations we began with the traditional story of lakshmi who is easily associated with divali, as she is the goddess of light and prosperity. in 2013, we took a different approach. we realized there were themes and lessons in the ramayana that were very applicable to the central bank. so, we chose hanuman for our divali program. we highlighted how central bank, like hanuman, is a faithful servant to the people of our country and how we diligently ensure their financial protection, no matter the size and ferocity of the ravans ( demons ) we take on. last year, we continued our exploration of the ramayana, staging a dance performance entitled paanch kahani. it is hindi for five stories. we selected five unusual stories from the ramayana, each with a powerful message for central banking. the first story was about shravan kumar, a lesser celebrated character in the ramayana, but incidentally the entire reason the epic ramayana was written. his life was one of devotion to his parents and this is what led to his death and triggered the chain of events that is the ramayana. the second story was about king dashrath who accidentally killed shravan kumar but as king of ayodhya was duty bound to keep his promise. the third and fourth stories are about ram ’ s brothers, bharat and lakshman who personified servant leadership and loyalty, respectively. the final story was about ram ’ s twin sons, luv and kush … representing the future. in 2015, we have again taken a different path. tonight, we present lord shiva : creative destruction, a dance drama by rana and susan mohip. “