Opposition’s absence sends direct message to Guyanese - Persaud

Opposition’s absence sends direct message to Guyanese – Persaud

Aug 06, 2009 News

By Gary Eleazar

Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud on Tuesday during the sitting of the National Assembly told the House during the debate on his motion on the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) that the Opposition’s absence was sending a direct message to the people of Guyana as to their interest in developing the country.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) had boycotted the sitting, as well as on the previous occasion when Persaud was scheduled to present the motion, but asked for its deferral. AFC Leader Raphael Trotman, while taking part in a protest demonstration, had said that while the LCDS was an important topic, worthy of discussion, the loss of Guyanese lives at this time and alleged drug links to the Government took precedence.
The People’s National Congress Reform was also, as on the preceding day, on the outskirts of the Parliament Building taking part in a protest demonstration.
According to Persaud, the LCDS is about the future of Guyana, and humanity as a whole and for the opposition to boycott the debate demonstrates just how little they care about the people of Guyana. He insisted that the Government will not be derailed in their agenda.
Persaud stated that the LCDS is aimed at the economic development of Guyana as well as taking the fight to Climate Change, a phenomenon that can no longer be denied.
The motion was approved by the members in the House at the time called for Parliament to welcome the commitment to public consultations, including the parliamentary parties, to contribute to the finalization of the policy and recognize the pioneering nature of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy.
The motion also called on the House to endorse Guyana’s advocacy in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process for a new post-2012 Agreement that includes REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries), avoided deforestation and sustainable forest management, to be decided in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009 and support its use at international fora, including the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen.
Persaud told the House that global warming has led to sea level rise and massive irregularities in weather patterns.
“The net result is increased flooding due to marine inundation and rainfall accumulation….This in turn has led to destruction of crops and infrastructure, as well as water-borne diseases.”
He informed the House, too, that forests provide a direct home to 300 million people globally, of which at least one hundred million (100M) are indigenous and another 800 million rural inhabitants live around forests and are heavily dependent on them.
The Agriculture Minister also reported to the House that tropical forests cover just six per cent of the earth’s surface yet they are home to more than half the earth’s species.
He added that forest flora accounts for 25 per cent of all pharmaceutical drugs. “Properly managed forests also provide a wide range of environmental services… preserve biodiversity, cultures and traditions.”
According to Persaud, the idea of avoided deforestation has long been supported by internationally renowned experts which is illustrated in documents such as the recent Stern review on climate change (2006) which calls for “large scale pilot schemes to explore effective approaches to combining national action and international support” to curb deforestation and degradation.
Persaud told the House that the Stern review further points out that deforestation is the second most important source of carbon dioxide emissions and is estimated to represent more than 18 per cent of global emissions, which is greater than that which is produced by the global transport sector.
“There is also substantial scientific evidence that demonstrates that curbing deforestation is the least costly way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, if the right policies and institutions are put in place…As a plus, any reduction in the rate of deforestation and forest degradation has the additional benefit of reducing other environmental and social problems associated with deforestation and forest degradation.”
He added also that the world has accepted the fact that, “these multiple services being provided by forests are extremely vital – this has led to the widespread acceptance now that forests are more important and valuable when sustainably managed, rather than if they are over-harvested and worse, clear felled.”

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Opposition’s absence sends direct message to Guyanese – Persaud

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