Guyana’s climate commitments should not be sidelined by Oil & Gas pursuit—civil society forum

Jun 02, 2019 News

Policy Forum Guyana, a civil society group, is lobbying for Guyana commitment to climate change efforts to be solidified even in the face of coming oil. In a release to the press, the forum outlined the risk associated with the new sector.
Policy forum noted that in November 2015, civic, business and Government participants approved the “Intended Nationally-Determined Contributions (INDCs), and Guyana’s progressive climate change agenda was launched.
The group explained “With the launch of the REDD+ foundation and ratification of the Climate Convention, Guyana was placed forefront of climate crisis action.
However, Policy Forum noted “with oil production projected at 700,000 barrels per day by 2025, Guyana’s carbon per capita footprint will rise steeply from its current 4.2 tons per capita to reach 108 tons per capita.”
“In addition, approximately 31,000 acres of forest in Guyana have been destroyed annually for many years by mining and mining-related activities.
This has resulted in eliminating the carbon storage capacity of between 150 and 400 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per acre which tropical forests can absorb. Combining forest destruction with oil production relegates
“Guyanese from stewards to squanderers of natural resources – the worst kind of climate deniers.”
Noting that official public discourse retreats from rigorous and measurable climate commitments are almost non-existent, the forum questions whether the efforts have been abandoned.
“In the intervening years, Guyanese society has been fed a diet of green project rhetoric, while the same old approach in the extractive sector – save in forestry – has not just continued, but has accelerated.
Moreover, while the Coalition Government must accept primary responsibility for abandoning climate goals, they are not being challenged on this front by other electoral contenders.
Guiding principles are significantly absent from policy papers or statements issued by various Government Agencies on climate change issues and resource patrimony.
Urgently needed as well is a serious national discussion about what is to be left alone/held in reserve in the face of oil, the newest extractive industry.”
In addition, the Policy noted positioning natural gas as a progressive ‘bridge’ towards alternative energy is another misleading notion.
“The assertion that natural gas is cleaner than the Bunker ‘C” fuels currently in use and that it would sharply reduce CO2 generation, is another example of not doing a full cost accounting.
Natural gas is dirty and dangerous. Guyana is well placed to by-pass interim measures and aim directly at fossil-free energy by the NDC goal of 2025.
To date, discussions of oil and gas issues have been limited to technical and financial matters while civic engagement with the issues has been random.
No consensus has been sought over whether we actually want oil and gas to be the determinant of Guyana’s future.
A full national discussion, both inside and outside of Parliament, not restricted only to experts, is essential. These fundamental decisions are not for an electoral time-table.
“They are forever,” the civil society body emphasized.

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Guyana’s climate commitments should not be sidelined by Oil & Gas pursuit—civil society forum

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