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THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON GUYANA

Oct 19, 2015 Editorial

One of the issues Guyanese should be worried about is climate change and its impact on the country, but only a few are aware of, or interested in it. Climate change is an important issue that should be of concern to all and should be taught in schools. It is an issue the world must grapple with now before it is too late. Scientific evidence that global warming is taking place and is affecting the climatic conditions in several countries is compelling.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has stated that the majority of Scientists have agreed that climate change is occurring on a global scale but human activities are largely responsible for the climate-warming trends over the past century and is expected to continue throughout the 21st century and beyond.
Scientists have contended that climate change has been going on since the birth of planet Earth. But recently, the pace of climate change has accelerated with the most harmful manifestations in the form of global warming that have resulted in sea level rise, floods, droughts and forests fires.
Since 1950, there has been a significant increase in record high temperatures in several countries, including the United States and Guyana, which have also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall and floods in areas never flooded before.
Guyana, whose coastal plane is below sea level, is at great risk of climate change. It is vulnerable to the existential dangers of climate change and global warning, which have affected its economy, hence its earning power. Guyana’s perilous situation is being recognized by the US, Canada and the European Union which are providing financial aid to shore-up its sea defense system.
The main offenders of greenhouse gases emissions are China, India, and the United States with Russia close behind in fourth place. China and the United States, which have the two largest economies in the world, are also the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases. China is widely regarded as the biggest source of pollution and the least active in curtailment. It has agreed to give $3.1 billion to finance climate change in developing countries while the US has reaffirmed its pledge of $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund. Paying for their sinful acts does not mean that they should be forgiven.
Climate change is not a new issue for Guyana. Its concerns were first raised in 1992 at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and again at the Kyoto Protocol in 2005.The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty that was signed by 192 countries with the explicit goal to fight global warming by reducing man-made greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to an acceptable level that would not affect the climate system. It put the obligation to reduce current carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on the shoulders of the developed countries which are responsible for the current high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
It reaffirmed the principle that the developed countries should pay billions of dollars and provide technology to other countries for climate-related studies and projects. The Protocol also established a mechanism of compliance monitoring with harsh penalties for non-compliance. In accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, the United States, the European Union and 76 other countries have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the years, several CARICOM governments, including Guyana have solicited grants from the developed countries to counter the effects of global warming. But the developed countries have been reluctant to grant aid to the Caribbean governments. However, because of its large rainforest, Guyana was able to sign a lucrative agreement with Norway with the promise not to destroy its rainforests in return for US$250 million.
The agreement does not prevent Guyana from out-sourcing a section of its rainforest to Bai Shan Lin and Vaitarna Holdings of India for logging. Without proper supervision, the government expects these companies to respect the country’s logging laws. Would they?

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