Civil Society watchdog exposes Pres. Ali’s duplicity at COP26

Nov 14, 2021 News

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…calls for immediate ban on log exports, consultations on mega projects

Kaieteur News – Civil Society Group—Article 13—has lambasted Head of State, President Irfaan Ali’s, unambiguous calls to world leaders at the recently concluded 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) and in exposing his duplicity has called for the immediate ban on the export of logs.

This is in addition to the holding of extensive consultations for the administration’s two flag ship energy projects, namely the Gas-to-Shore initiative and the development of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project (AFHEP)—given the potential economic pitfalls and future financial burdens.
The group, which identified its current spokespersons as Ramon Gaskin, Dr. Yog Mahadeo and Jonathan Yearwood, in a public missive yesterday drew reference to “the President’s unambiguous call (at COP26) for immediate action to avoid a global disaster” and observed that it “contrasted with the platitudes that have emerged from these conferences for the past 26 years, including promises not kept and long-term commitments with no measurable intermediate markers.”
President Ali, Article 13 observed, “repeated the absolute and urgent need to reduce emissions and reminded world leaders of the numerous broken pledges by developed countries to assist developing countries.”
Specifically referring to deforestation, President Ali spoke of the need for developing countries “to be provided with incentives necessary to keep the forest intact.”
As such, “Article 13 lauds the President’s position on the impact of and focus on climate change and its effects, including the ever-present and increasing threat from rising sea levels, hurricanes, droughts, forest fires, and in some areas of the world, famine as well.”
The civil society watchdog body noted however, that the President’s assertions would “have resonated across both the developed and developing countries, and particularly among low-lying countries, such as Guyana, in which huge swathes of their territory face an existential threat” and that “unfortunately, the President’s lofty ideals on the crisis of Climate Change and the Environment have not translated into policies and practices.”
To this end, Article 13 cited recent media reports which indicate that the administration has reopened the door for the return of Asian logging companies and Canadian interests in gold mining.
The group noted too that “Guyana is opening up more territory for gold mining which, outside of a strictly enforced regime, can do grave harm to the environment, as a result of uncontrolled land clearing and the use of mercury.”

Clarifying that, “we are aware of the distinctions between commercial logging for export, for local use and for clearing to facilitate infrastructure and other developmental purposes,” Article 13 said, it therefore, “demands full information on all activities, including planned activities, of foreign deforesters operating in Guyana.”
As such, “in this connection, we make a clear distinction between commercial deforesters and local operators who satisfy the local demand for housing and construction.”
To this end, the Article 13 spokespersons in their joint missive were adamant, “the people of Guyana deserve to know the present rate and quantity of forest degradation, including a breakdown delineating foreign versus domestic usage….In this regard, Article 13 holds that Guyana must immediately ban all exports of logs.”
It was noted too that “the greatest contradiction by President Ali however is his simultaneous declaration abroad of support for the removal of subsidies from fossil fuel production while in Guyana his administration stoutly defends granting to oil companies concessions of all types imaginable, including the payment of their taxes, reimbursement of their expenses and limitations on the audit of their books and records.”
The members noted that while boasting that Guyana’s forests are “almost the size of England and Scotland”, President Ali failed to inform the gathering that in the case of one of more than a dozen petroleum agreements entered into with oil companies, a group of two American and one Chinese companies has been granted exploration and production rights over an acreage of territorial waters which exceeds the entire 83,000 sq. miles of the land territory of Guyana.
“This inconsistency with the laws of Guyana, common sense, and sanity is aggravated by its permission of flaring and weak regard for responsible environmental laws and management.”
The Civil Society group noted too that the President announced in Scotland his government’s plan for a 70 percent reduction of carbon emissions by 2030, “presumably as a result of the US $750 million Amaila Falls Hydro Project and the US$900 million Gas-to-Shore Project.”
To this end, it was pointed that “of direct interest to Article 13 is that these projects are shrouded in secrecy and announced even before any consultation with the Guyanese people has taken place.”
According to Article 13, “successive administrations have had difficulty in comprehending the need for inclusion, consultation, and transparency on large projects; Article 13 is deeply concerned that in the absence of such consultations, Guyana can suffer the fate of the Skeldon Project, the economic, financial and social consequences of which are still being felt.”
The group was adamant, “the only difference this time around is that if these projects were ever to materialise, the costs to the country will be unmanageable and will have to be borne by future generations.”
According to Article 13, President Ali’s speech was a demonstration of the wide gap among countries between their spoken word and reality and his clear attempt to avoid the whole truth and the absence of full disclosure and prior consultation with the people of Guyana on critical, existential issues “are not only unacceptable but amount to a violation of Article 13 of the Constitution of Guyana for which our group stands.”

 

 

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