Latest update December 16th, 2024 9:00 AM
Climate disasters could wipe out 100% of Guyana’s coastal agriculture – World Bank
…warns that country’s contribution to climate change will increase with new oil and gas projects
Kaieteur News – Environmentalists have long insisted that Guyana’s oil and gas would be better left unexploited due to the lopsided deal the country received for its largest oil block and more importantly, the environmental destruction caused during the production of the resources.
The World Bank in its latest Fact Sheet on Guyana, published on October 6, has warned that the country is at ‘high risk of climate induced hazards’ as a result of the massive oil discoveries off the country’s coast.
According to the report, heavy rainfall and related occurrences of flooding, sea level rise, and storm surges, especially in coastal areas are expected in Guyana.
An aerial shot of the impact of flooding along Guyana’s coastland
“Guyana’s contribution to climate change is expected to increase due to the oil and gas discovery, which could ultimately hinder growth and development efforts in the country if left unchecked,” the global institution pointed out.
During the production of oil and gas harmful toxins are released into the atmosphere which contributes to climate change.
The World Bank was keen to note that, “Guyana’s coastal plain strip lies below the mean high tide mark and has historically suffered flooding from both Atlantic storm surges and heavy rains.”
Guyana’s efforts to become the ‘food basket of the Caribbean’ – given its role in reducing the Region’s Food Import Bill by 25 percent by 2025 – can be hindered due to the massive oil and gas projects that are to be pursued.
“Research shows that the impact of rising sea levels and intensified storm surges in Guyana would be among the greatest in the world, exposing 100 percent of the country’s coastal agriculture and 66.4 percent of coastal urban areas to flooding and coastal erosion, with potential GDP losses projected to exceed 46.4 percent,” the World Bank said.
Notwithstanding, the financial institution noted that the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 outlines substantial measures to support green resilient growth, including increased protection for the standing forests and investments in renewable energy sources such as hydropower and solar energy.
Guyanese Environmental Lawyer, Melinda Janki, has been highlighting the environmental harm being done by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) commonly referred to as ExxonMobil Guyana, the operator of the Stabroek Block, since the start up of oil production in 2019.
On numerous occasions she called for the oil company’s ‘dangerous’ operations to be shut down, pending an independent international and credible investigation into their activities.
She believes, “There should be an independent international, credible investigation into those operations and it should only be restarted if it makes sense and it is at that point, in a discussion for restarting, that the people of this country can say well this is what we want instead.”
Janki has taken ExxonMobil to court over matters relating to the safety of its operations. The Lawyer has challenged the excessive burning of natural gas offshore Guyana by the oil company. More recently, she moved to the courts to question the validity of the Liza One Environmental Permit renewal – arguing that insurance provisions were not complied with.
While these two matters are still before the courts, Janki was successful in litigation against the oil company in 2020. The Lawyer had moved to the court to reduce the oil company’s environmental permit from 20+ years to five, the correct time as prescribed by law.
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