Why would the PPP vow to scrap such a positive initiative?

Dec 09, 2018 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

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The People’s Progressive Party – PPP – has vowed to scrap the Green State Development Strategy-GSDS. However, your government’s vision for Guyana’s development and the means through which we shall achieve this objective is clear.
The State’s principal objective is to secure the “good life” for all. This “good life” entails providing every citizen with opportunities to be the best he or she can be. The “good life” is about securing sustained economic prosperity, ensuring citizen’s access to quality public services, and promoting social cohesion.
The “good life” involves eliminating extreme poverty and removing social, ethnic and geographic inequalities. The ultimate indicators of the good life are happy communities, happy households and happy people.
Your government has chosen a ‘green’ pathway to guide it towards achieving the “good life”. A ‘green’ pathway allows us to benefit from our country’s abundant natural resources. A ‘green’ development trajectory will ensure a diversified and resilient economy, promote sustainable development, good governance and protect the environment while generating wealth and employment.
The Government acknowledges that economic development must not be at the expense of our environment. We believe that resource extraction must be guided by evidence-based sustainability guidelines, in keeping with our green state principles. This would ensure that our natural resources receive protection for future generations, and that we maximise social benefits for workers and local communities.
The Strategy has as one of its goals, a transition to 100 percent renewable energy. This is achievable, because Guyana’s natural resources offer up diverse renewable energy sources in hydropower, solar, wind and biofuels.
The strategy considers and puts emphasis on the balance between the three dimensions of sustainable development: Economic, Social and Environmental to ensure comprehensive implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs.
i) Social cohesion and inclusion: human rights, multi-ethnicity and gender equality, non-discrimination and protection of vulnerable and marginalized population groups.
ii) Well-being, education and quality of life: moral fabric, improving quality of living for all Guyanese, promoting sustainable lifestyles and protection of the environment. iii) Sustainable use of biodiversity and increased resource efficiency: acknowledging the role that nature plays in Guyana’s economic and social structure, and decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation.
iv) Decarbonisation and climate resilience: aiming for a transition to a 100% renewable country by 2025.
v) Sustainable finance: redirecting and mobilising investments to sustainable infrastructure and green economic sectors.
vi) Good governance; ensuring transparency and sharing services and decision-making to the population; engaging civil society and creating a space for citizen participation.
Some of the national goals include, establishing a sovereign wealth fund prior to oil production. Developing a neutral trade balance on imported fossil fuels and oil exports by 2030.
Agriculture: stabilising sugar and rice production, and increasing value-added processing of these commodities. Ensuring food security by prioritising national demand.
Guyana’s 2017-2021 Strategic Plan for Social Cohesion, envisions that by 2021, persons belonging to different race groups, unemployed youth, low-wage workers in mining, agriculture, forestry or fishing, domestic workers, small business operators, tradesmen and women, casual workers, persons with disabilities, and other minority and excluded groups and communities should feel less economically unequal, to others. The hardships and discrimination they may experience will be dissipate.
The GSDS will put significant emphasis on ensuring the full delivery of a modernised energy sector, with an increased mix of clean and renewable resources.
The government is currently developing a long-term energy plan for the transition to increased use of renewables, together with GSDS building upon and integrating this plan. To meet these goals, and achieve the desired transformation, the GSDS will emphasise four core strategic areas:
1- Achieving a transition to 100% renewable energy in the power sector;
2-Achieving affordable, reliable and clean energy services or all;
3- Ensuring security and quality of energy for business growth; and
4- Increasing energy efficiency.
Guyana is committed to a set of energy-related international and national targets based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The goals most related to energy transformation are; the removal of import duty and tax barriers on the importation of renewable energy equipment, compact fluorescent lamps and LED lamps will incentivise and motivate energy efficient behaviour. Conduct energy audits and replace inefficient lighting at public, residential and commercial buildings to reduce energy consumption; Public education and awareness programmes to provide consumers with information and tools to reduce energy consumption and expenditure;
Implement building codes and net-metering of residential renewable power; Seek to construct and/or promote the construction of small hydro systems at suitable locations such as Moco Moco, Kato and Tumatumari; power all of the six newly established townships, starting with Bartica, using renewable energy sources.
Work closely with farmers in agricultural areas across Guyana to encourage the use of biodigesters to reduce waste, produce biogas and provide affordable, healthy and efficient cooking means in the household.
Reducing dependence on fossil fuels for energy generation, achieving close to 100% renewables by 2025 through a diversified renewable energy infrastructure including biomass, solar, wind and hydropower. Commitment to providing energy access to all Guyanese.
The Green State Development Strategy – Vision 2040 will guide national development policies for the next 20 years. The vision for Guyana ‘s development is one that is inclusive and prosperous and provides a good quality of life for all its citizens, based on sound education and social protection, low carbon and resilient development, providing new economic opportunities, justice and political empowerment.
The green state agenda will vastly improve the quality of life for all within the principles of a green economy. Economic growth characterised by low emissions; efficient use of natural resources; decent jobs and rising incomes sustained over generations; and a cohesive society: one that promotes equitable access to economic opportunities, recognises the strength of its cultural diversity and demonstrates tolerance among ethnic groups.
All of the goals listed above are rational, lofty and extremely essential for a sustainable development strategy for Guyana’s development; however, under their governance, the PPP has vowed to scrap the Green State Development Strategy.
According to the PPP’s General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, “That (the GSDS) is a political initiative of Granger…In all likelihood, we will scrap it as soon as we get into office, because it makes no sense.”
These remarks exemplify the visionless leadership that was practised for 23 years by the PPP and rejected by Guyanese in 2015. With such utterances, Jagdeo can look forward to many more years on the opposition bench.

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