A reader warns Guyana of the environmental dangers of oil

Nov 22, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
Is Oil a safe bet? In the aftermath of the Skeldon fiasco, where our long history and expertise in the industry did not serve us well, even though we teamed up with our close friends and industry experts from Bookers to establish a plant which is found today in disappointing condition, one must ask the question “Is Oil a safe bet?”.
Many Nations with a wealth of expertise in the oil industry, despite their high and unacceptable levels of debt (which some may argue is due to oil dependence e.g. USA) and unacceptable levels of unemployment, are moving away from oil and aggressively pursuing sustainable clean energy options. This change from oil is being prompted by various reasons, such as the affordability of sustainable clean energy solutions, but most importantly the avoidance of environmental disasters.
It is my humble opinion that we should be cautious and conservative in our pursuit of sustainable energy independence and oil is not a sustainable energy resource option. We must be prudent and consider the experiences of other nations and be realistic in accepting that our partners cannot guarantee that such disasters will be prevented from happening in the future upon our shores if we pursue drilling.
After all, the most experienced oil companies have experienced major environmental disasters in their recent past, such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 and the BP offshore oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Such a disaster close to Guyana’s shores would result in not only an unfavorable living environment for those living on the coast, but it will also have a negative impact on our fishing industry (as it did in the USA), the agricultural sector and the livelihood of our nation.
If such an industry was established it is most probable that the sweet breeze we enjoy today on our verandas would turn into one similar to that on the Texas seashore (e.g. Texas City) where it burns the nostrils and eyes, not to mention the smell of which some may equate to that of a gas station or pesticides.
Currently a plentitude of wind, rivers and sunshine resources bless our beautiful nation, and we are at the best moment to date to make a successful transition to sustainable clean energy alternatives. Other leading nations are rapidly pursuing these alternative options, such as China and the USA, but most notably nations in Europe such as Sweden and Scotland. It is our duty to our people and their children to pursue similar or better sustainable clean energy strategies and partner in this way with such nations that truly have a long term vision with their people’s best interest in mind. There is no need for us to repeat the pitfalls and mistakes of others, especially when the long term negative impact of such an unsustainable energy direction is well known and can be easily avoided.
Jamil Changlee

Latest News

A reader warns Guyana of the environmental dangers of oil

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Futebol Real Brazil executive Naranda Wislon visits Guyana

Windies captain Matthews cites lessons from T20I...

Powell calls for Reflection after West Indies...

Herstelling A are EBDCA/SPL T10 champs

Opinion Piece: Condemning the Nonsensical Guyana...

India produce dominant 60-run win over West...

Features/Columnists

The GRA is batting out of its crease

Let the asylum seekers go: a first step for Venezuela to rebuild relations in the Americas

Driving in Guyana, driving over Guyanese

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

A reader warns Guyana of the environmental dangers of oil

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]