bbb - bbb + a - a - a - international ratings standard & poor's central bank of trinidad and tobago 2. macroeconomic fundamentals non - energy gdp / per cent / 2007p 6. 7 6. 7 5. 0 6. 6 6. 7 agriculture - 15. 3 - 34. 2 - 9. 2 - 0. 9 - 5. 9 manufacturing 12. 0 5. 2 12. 6 9. 4 8. 0 construction 23. 4 8. 1 13. 4 4. 3 5. 2 finance, insurance & real estate 7. 3 21. 7 0. 4 1. 2 10. 5 8. 4 8. 3 7. 8 8. 2 8. 3 non - energy gdp of which : memo : contribution of financial sector to total employment central bank of trinidad and tobago 3. financial system soundness indicators total assets ( tt $ bn ) 62. 8 71. 2 82. 9 92. 9 103. 9 annual growth in total assets ( % ) 11. 2 12. 9 16. 5 11. 9 11. 8 asset quality : nonperforming loans to gross loans ( % ) 2. 6 3. 7 2. 7 2. 7 1. 4 4. 0 29. 9 5. 2 36. 1 3. 6 25. 0 4. 6 31. 8 4. 8 33. 9 19. 1 18. 3 18. 8 18. 6 17. 9 earnings and profitability return on assets ( % ) return on equity ( % ) capital adequacy : core capital to risk adjusted assets ( % ) central bank of trinidad and tobago 4. banking system credit : domestic and offshore trinidad & tobago / per cent / dec - 05 dec - 06 domestic 76. 0 75. 3 79. 3 caricom 20. 0 16. 3 14. 6 of which : barbados dec - 07 2. 8 2. 3 2. 5 dominican republic 0. 6 0. 4 0. 3 grenada 0. 6 0. 5 0. 4 jamaica 4. 6 2. 9 2. 0 st. lucia 5. 0 4. 7 4. 5 suriname 0. 5 0. 5 0. 4 belize 0. 6 0. 5 0. 1 guyana 0. 5 0. 4 0. 4 rest of the world 4. 0 8. 4 6. 1 3. 0 6. 0 4. 4 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 of which : united states of

significant potential for the caribbean sea to contribute even more to food security, livelihoods and inclusive economic growth for the region. science and technology has a key role to play in helping to capture some of the economic opportunities likely to arise from investing in a healthier caribbean sea. some areas are as follows : • promotion of responsible fisheries and aquaculture in a green economy ; • adoption of green technologies and investments to lower fossil fuel use to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of the sector ; • harnessing the potential of marine - based renewable energy ( wind, wave and tidal ) ; and bis central bankers ’ speeches • improving the understanding of deep - sea minerals ecosystems which are a possible new revenue stream. the second growth frontier for the caribbean lies in taking advantage of “ green economy ” opportunities to reduce its vulnerability to climate change. caribbean countries are expected to be among the earliest and most severely impacted by climate change in the coming decades. warmer temperatures are likely to fuel stronger hurricanes in a region already battling frequent natural disasters. increased ocean temperatures are also leading to coral deaths. recent studies suggest that some 80 per cent of living coral in the reefs of the caribbean have been lost in the past 20 years. more than half of the caribbean population lives within 1. 5 kilometers of the coast where houses, hotels and other infrastructure are at significant risk from stronger winds, more forceful wave surges and heavier rains. sea level rise would deal the region ’ s tourism industry a deadly blow. and these devastating impacts are likely to occur regardless of the fact that caribbean nations produce extremely low levels of global greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change. a 2008 study by the stockholm environment institute and tufts university found that for just three categories – increased hurricane damages, loss of tourism revenue, and infrastructure damages – the caribbean ’ s annual cost of inaction is projected to total us $ 22 billion by 2050 and us $ 46 billion by 2100. these costs represented 10 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively, of the 2008 gdp of the caribbean economy. the caribbean therefore must redouble efforts to support inclusive green growth and climate smart development. this requires increased investment in mitigation. we need to identify renewable energy projects that can help conserve foreign exchange and ultimately improve fiscal space. it also requires ramping up investments in adaptation. we need to identify “ bankable ” adaptation projects. at the same time, tailored support is needed to help caribbean countries and other small island states access climate related funds especially those offered by the global environment facility