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Canje Environmental Concerns

Mar 02, 2012 Editorial

 

 

The MOU signed by the GoG on the Ansa McAL Ethanol project, whether secret or not, should raise the question of its environmental sustainability. Against the background of all the publicity given to the fragile state of our environment on account of climate change and global warming, our policymakers hopefully do not need to be reminded that the Millennium Goals demand specifically, achievement of ‘environmental sustainability” by 2015.
The plan to open up 110,000 hectares – as pointed out by this paper as equivalent to three times the size of Barbados – for the cultivation of sugar-cane in the Canje Basin will unquestionably have a very powerful impact on the environment there. But right up front we have to point out that the nature of environmental conflicts in developing nations like Guyana differs considerably from those in industrialized nations.
In the latter, “development” has already gone a far way and most environmental conflicts are over how to minimize further resource destruction and how resources can be most efficiently used. But in the former, economic, social and political structures have not yet been widely affected by environmental changes brought about by industrialization. Therefore, what is at stake in Guyana is not only the use of environmental resources, but also the very process of development, and if stated, civil society and the market can act cooperatively to create development while protecting the environment.
In the instant case, there is no question that if we were to get such a large project off the ground to produce ethanol, our economic development would be given quite a fillip. There would first of all be the employment opportunities and the increased foreign exchange earnings for the ethanol that would eventually be produced. These will have to be quantified ahead of the project approval since it will be the largest factor to outweigh environmental concerns. Guyana can also utilise a portion of the ethanol production for a 10% mix in its vehicular gasoline fuel consumption and consequently reduce its dependence on fossil fuel. Then there would be the demonstrator effect that Guyana can become a major player in the emerging bio-fuels market. The latter is itself a consequence of concerns for the environment due to fossil fuel consumption.
What would be the pressures on the environment if the Canje basin were to be developed? Fortunately for us there are no settlements there that may be uprooted, as for instance, there would be in the Amaila Falls project. In our estimation, the greatest impact will be on the water resources that are presently drained by the Canje Creek. Even before the Skeldon expansion project, the water from the Canje had been depleted by usage, that it was adversely impacting the flow at the mouth and resulting in increased siltation.
Right now when all the lands for the Skeldon expansion come on stream, there will be insufficient water for irrigation. The question is where will water be sourced for lands that exceed the entire acreage under cultivation for GuySuCo across the coast? If there will be a reservoir created, this will have two environmental impacts: decreasing waters into the Canje Creek and upsetting the eco-balance in the land the conservancy will cover.
In Guyana, overall recognition of the importance of the environment has recently resulted in the institution of legal frameworks. These, however, are not always respected. Nevertheless, they have allowed for dialogue among the state, civil society and private companies, which have helped to change the prevailing image that NGOs are invariably environmentally “good,” while private companies, are uniformly environmentally “bad.”
Additionally, in developing countries like ours, conflict may emerge, not because there is manipulation of interests, but just as a consequence of pure administrative chaos. The lack of efficient, transparent and accountable public administration makes it very difficult to negotiate third world governments. Frequently, this is because of corruption.
To reduce such difficulties in the present dispensation, it may be time to revisit our administrative regime governing the entire environmental sustainability area to reduce corruption and better meet our developmental needs.

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