Political parties must state their plans for Guyana’s environmental health – ECHO

Mar 02, 2015 News

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…suggests audit of extractive sector

While political parties are vying for the Presidency at the upcoming General Elections and are busy promising change and continued progress, the directors of the Environmental Community Health Organization (ECHO) has made it clear that they are yet to hear any talk of developing and maintaining the country’s environmental health.

The issue of environmental health and sustainability is a serious one and the situation has deteriorated over the years. It is believed that the country’s environmental health level fluctuates immensely, but the environmental group urges that a clear cut remedy has to be put in place to ensure and maintain this vital state asset.
It is also believed that an audit of the country’s extractive sector is necessary to update the country’s material wealth and examine the very possible damage that has been done.
ECHO is encouraging, “all political parties to set out a logical and reasonable road map for environmental health in their campaigns in the lead up to General and Regional Elections for May 2015.”
In a true democracy, ECHO posited, “governments must be accountable to the electorate for the way it manages the environment and its resources. This is particularly important to developing and poor countries, including Guyana which is home to a significant percentage of the world’s Bottom Billon.”
ECHO’s Executive Director, Royston King suggested that for Guyana, the natural environment and its abundant resources are critical to its development and progress. However, there must be a good balance between development and the environment; there must be sustainable development.
He posited that, “it therefore behoves political parties to set out in a clear and unambiguous way, in their manifestos, informational materials and on their various political platforms, plans for the preservation and protection of the health of the natural environment and its ecosystems.”
These he said, should include; “good environmental stewardship of our natural assets- fish, animals, forests, mineral resources and human resources; people’s right to a clean and healthy environment where air and water are not compromised; using our natural resources wisely; harnessing renewable energies of the sun, the wind and water; protecting the health of our vast forests; effective and efficient solid waste management; protecting the health of coral reefs and ecosystems.”
Political parties, the Director charged, should set out ethical frameworks and standards for corporations to advance their interests without compromising the benefits of the country’s resources for future generations.
“For we, in this period of our history, have no more right to enjoy these assets than future generations of our nation. For example, logging companies and their allies should not be at liberty to cut our forest without leaving an equivalent asset for future generations.”

King said that ECHO also believes that there is an urgent need for a natural environmental audit, particularly in the resource-extraction sector, to protect and preserve our environment and to push our nation steadily along the path of sustainable development.
ECHO has been in the forefront of advocating for environmental health and transparency within the extractive sector.
The environmental organisation believes that in some cases, ample steps were not taken to safeguard environmental health and the assets of the country’s extractive sector.
They had protested the office of the Natural Resource Ministry when it was reported that the government had granted a Chinese company rights to conduct work that seemed to harm the country’s forestry industry.
They had spoken out against the possible licensing of the Chinese also wanting to engage in the countries fishing industry when it was reported that deals granted to them would be better than arrangements made with local operators.
ECHO had also address the issue of harmful chemicals being used within the country to conduct certain works being executed by the state.
They noted too that there needed greater accountability and transparency within the extractive sector.
Given Guyana’s vast environmental wealth, much of which is still underdeveloped, ECHO had even called for the establishment of an environmental court to properly address environmental crimes that might accompany the extractive sector’s growth.
Reports of illegal logging, wanton land distributions, among other acts against the environment, were justification enough to warrant the establishment of the environmental court, King pointed out.

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