Politics at heart of climate change fight and floods in Georgetown and environs

Dec 14, 2008 Letters

---

Dear Editor,
While President Bharrat Jagdeo was in Poland trying to make a case for climate change and US$580 million- a-year from foreign deep pocket donors to avoid deforestation in Guyana, some of his supporters crawled out of the woodwork as climate conscious advocates and made observers wonder where their real priority is.

Is it about preserving our forests in the name of being environmentally-friendly, or is it about trying to piggyback the President’s drive to rake in easy megabucks as a quick-fix alternative to a failed economic agenda for 16 years?

In Guyana, according to information released in the public domain, 60% of our formal economy is said to be dependent on parallel or informal economic activities! We heard from the new US Ambassador to Guyana that spin-offs from the drug trade accounted for 20% of Guyana’s GDP in 2007! We also learned that foreign remittances accounted for 40 % of the GNP in 2007!

This means that, even though the real economy reportedly grew 3.5% in the first six months of this year, the real economy is actually being propped up by shaky pillars behind a smokescreen of economic progress. Who needs a ‘firewall’ against global economic meltdown when a ‘smokescreen’ is doing well fooling Guyanese?

Now, if these shaky pillars were to collapse without warning, the real economy could flop in a heartbeat; because in the last 16 years, Guyana did not have a viable long-term economic recovery plan that would have served as the primary source of development.

And this has some people, like me, wondering what the true motivation is for the President’s mad rush to raise ‘big money to avoid deforestation.’

Had there been a viable long term plan, then money gained from our forest preservation drive could have been used in a secondary economic back-up plan.

Instead, the way things are shaping up, we may yet be out of luck getting US$580 million-a-year, as we have been out of luck for 16 years without a viable economic stimulus plan.

I am hard-pressed trying to figure out why Brazil, which has a rain forest that can swallow Guyana’s several times over, has a President who is more focused on economic development projects that depend on constructive exploitation of natural resources, rather than spending his time trying to rake in Brazil’s share of billions to avoid deforestation? Again, is Guyana’s President more concerned about climate change, or raking in easy mega bucks?

It is not a case where I doubt the world is facing a climate change, but even though I am concerned about climate change – whether caused by the unstoppable work of Mother Nature or the manageable work of man — I can only hope that the devastating impact of climate change can be carefully managed by responsible governments and world citizens until we bring the problem under control.

But after what played out in Poland this week, where politics definitely trumped principle in finding a pragmatic approach to dealing with this global issue, I am not holding my breath; but I will do what I can to play my part in creating care efforts.

Sadly, politics trumping principle in the search for a pragmatic approach to problem solving is not limited to the international stage; it is also quite visible on the local stage!

Can you imagine that, while President Jagdeo was in Poland talking up a storm about climate change and trying to get his hands on millions of dollars, our nation’s capital, Georgetown, was once again flooded after a few days of heavy rains?

And all because of a mixture of environmental neglect and abuse on the one hand, and lack of technical planning and human concern on the other hand, by both the authorities and the citizens!

President Jagdeo and his supporting cast seem to have their priorities mixed up trying to save the sparsely populated forests while allowing the heavily populated coastlands to flood after mere inches of rain.

Look, I don’t know what will become of the President’s efforts to raise his US$580 million-a-year, but for whatever these five suggestions are worth, I believe that, while the Central Government looks to preserve our forests and make big, easy money, it also needs to preserve our nation’s capital where billions of dollars flow everyday. It is also home to over a quarter million Guyanese and is the seat of Government. Here are my five tips:

1. Since the Coastal strip is below sea level, so that kokers can’t be opened during heavy rains, then there needs to be deeper and wider canals and irrigation systems. Deeper and wider canals and irrigation systems can hold a greater percentage of water run-offs from yards, streets and open plots of land.

2. Have the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Local Government collaborate with the private sector to avail resources to help local governments /authorities coordinate flood prevention and flood recovery efforts.

3. Have the Environmental Protection Agency put officers to constantly monitor all irrigation systems, but especially during imminent rainy seasons, to ensure they are clean, clear and ready to handle a surge of rain water run-offs.

4. Back-up existing garbage disposal programmes with hefty fines and lengthy environmentally based community services for violators and offenders.

5. For the sake of effective governance, expedite the staging of Local Government elections, so that elected officials can govern with confidence and proper technical advice, and support can be readily accountable /answerable to the electorate and not just to the Local Government Ministry.

It’s time to stop over-politicization of local government operations, but especially the finger-pointing dramas when failures (such as excessive flooding) occur.

Narrow politics may be at the heart of the global climate change fight, but it need not be evident in the environmental neglect/abuse of Georgetown and its environs.
Emile Mervin

---

---