Cognitive dissonance seems to be the norm in Guyana

Oct 12, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

I have noted several recent media articles about sapling giveaways and upcoming tree planting exercises by the Ministry of Agriculture in observance of Agri. Month. It’s great that the need to plant more trees is being acknowledged by our government and that steps are being taken to encourage this. As we all know, trees are essential for life on Earth as they produce Oxygen which most living things need to survive, while removing toxic gases like Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere. In fact, widespread destruction of trees is one of the main causes of catastrophic climate change which is the biggest existential threat to humanity currently.
However, while I applaud these tree planting initiatives, I am dismayed at the wanton disregard for currently-standing trees that is being exhibited by other employees of other government agencies, as well as the average Guyanese. A prime example is the mutilation of the magnificent silk cotton tree in the compound of the Carnegie School of Economics. Recently, several limbs of this beautiful tree were hacked off by persons working at the behest of school officials. It was only when a nearby environmentally-aware resident and business owner highlighted the travesty on social media and wrote a letter to the newspaper, galvanizing a caring member of the Georgetown City Council to take action, that the complete destruction of this tree was halted. Other trees in and around our Garden City, Georgetown, are regularly harmed by persons driving and parking over their roots on the parapet, burning garbage at their base, digging too close to their roots, chopping their limbs carelessly, etc. Others have called, in years past, for proper training for tree trimmers and contractors; apparently this still has not been done.
This attitude towards trees- as inanimate things that can be harmed or destroyed at whim, whenever a human is bothered by them, or to facilitate human ‘progress and development’, is far too common in Guyana and unless substantive efforts are made to change this mindset, we will fail at achieving our ‘green’ goals. We need to cultivate a deeper understanding of trees, as well as the rest of the natural world, as living creatures in their own right- notwithstanding the ‘services’ they provide to us humans- and deserving of our greatest respect and consideration. Interestingly, several countries around the world have actually begun granting legal rights to entities like rivers, increasing the level of protection for them. However, here in Guyana, we have one arm of the government talking green and promoting tree planting while on the other hand, agents of other ministries are allowing the mutilation and destruction of giant, century-old trees (aside from this one silk cotton in Georgetown, many more trees are felled in the interior regions by mining operations, which also wantonly pollute the waterways..)
But cognitive dissonance seems to be the norm in Guyana, where a ‘green state’ is supposed to be created with funds from the extremely environmentally destructive oil industry. It’s sad to see my fellow Guyanese, young and old, eagerly and desperately waiting for the oil bonanza to improve their economic status, while sadly lacking awareness of the real things that are important and essential to life.
Caring for the environment and creating a true green state entails more than just superficial actions like picking up garbage, painting the town green, or handing out saplings; one must understand the real interconnectedness of everything. As our late, great national poet, Martin Carter wrote in his legendary poem – “like a jig shakes the loom; like a web is spun the pattern. All are involved! All are consumed!” Healthy trees, unpolluted rivers, and an undestroyed environment is our real wealth- that is what we must teach our children and fellow citizens, and if we really understand and believe this, we should act accordingly- not in contradiction, as is being demonstrated currently.

Respectfully,
Sherlina Nageer

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