Former PPP executive says climate change talks important

Dec 01, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
The Climate Change Summit in the French capital Paris currently underway is being closely monitored by people all over the world in particular those from the poor and vulnerable small states who are the main victims of global warming even though they have not been the ones responsible.
It is no secret that the United States alone is responsible for nearly a quarter of carbon emissions followed by China, India, Russia, Germany and France. It was therefore refreshing to hear leaders from these highly industrialised countries commit themselves to a clean and green energy programme and a phased reduction of energy from fossil based fuel. This is indeed a step in the right direction if the target of a two percent degree reduction in global warming is to be realized by 2030.
President Obama in his address to the summit acknowledged responsibility of the USA in fuelling global warming which is highly commendable. It was the United States that had refused to sign on to the Kyoto Protocol despite pressure from climate change experts and lobbyists to do so.
One hopes that new thinking will prevail on the part of the United States and other countries of the industrialised world to save the planet from imminent destruction if the rise in greenhouse gas emissions remains unchecked.
Guyana must be given credit for being among to first to embark on a low carbon development strategy. The fact that the new administration has opted to continue along this development path speaks to our political maturity and our commitment to put the overall good of the nation ahead of narrow partisan interests.
It should be recalled that Guyana during the mid-1980’s made available to the international community a large portion of our rainforest under the Iwokrama Project for research and sustainable use of forest resources.
The late President Dr. Cheddi Jagan had been a strong advocate for countries such as Guyana to be given compensation by the industrial world for forest conservation but except for Norway no other country has made any such financial contribution.
Economic development and the reduction of carbon emissions are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. Advances in science and technology particularly in the area of alternative energy make it possible to explore new areas of clean and green energy such as nuclear, solar and hydro-generated power. What is required is the political will to change or if you like a paradigm shift by policy makers on how to exploit the available natural resources to drive the development process. The current summit of world leaders provide fresh hope and a new mood of optimism that something positive will emerge and not mere rhetoric and nice declarations as in the case of earlier summits in Copenhagen and Kyoto.
Hydar Ally

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Former PPP executive says climate change talks important

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