Guyana: Climate change fundamental threat to sustainable development

[Karl]

Caribbean Net News – July 17, 2008

In echoing the arguments of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries about the impact of climate change on Caribbean economies, Guyana's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues told the Sixth United Kingdom/Caribbean forum, which opened this week in London, that the phenomenon is now among the most fundamental threats to the sustainable development and even existence of the Caribbean region. The two-day forum’s first session dealt with sustainable development as it relates to climate change and eco-tourism and the Minister pointed out that both (climate change and eco-tourism) have maintained a prominent place on national, regional and international agendas in keeping with development aspirations and with the region’s overarching desire to achieve international objectives including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the 2015 target date.

In alluding to articles 4.8 and 4.9 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Foreign Affairs Minister said Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are the most vulnerable to the adverse impact of climate change through hurricane and flood ravages which have become more intense and frequent as a result of changing weather patterns. “Unfortunately, while the Caribbean contributes little to adversely affect the climate, it feels the brunt of these adverse impacts…some countries in the Caribbean, such as Guyana and Suriname, with large forest cover, contribute positively to a cleaner environment through the ecosystem services they provide,” she said. On this note, it was explained that CARICOM has remained committed to putting programmes in place and implementing initiatives to confront the threats. One such initiative was noted to be the Mauritius Strategy, derived from the Barbados Plan of Action review that sought to build the region’s capacity to identify and implement appropriate climate change adaptation actions. These actions have resulted in projects such as the Caribbean Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change.

“CARICOM Heads have reaffirmed the importance of reviewing and strengthening adaptation policies. It is essential that these and other issues of importance to the Caribbean be advanced in the negotiations for a post-Kyoto framework and we welcome the efforts being made by the United Kingdom in the context of its membership in the Group of Eight in advancing efforts for the successful realisation of a comprehensive post 2012 Kyoto agreement,” Minister Rodrigues contended while expressing the hope that the framework would holistically address the challenges associated with climate change.

The Minister said CARICOM looks forward to discussions with the UK on ways in which they could work jointly to advance these positions. She outlined the Iwokrama forest initiative in Guyana and also alluded to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda last year where a plan was announced that would place the countries’ standing forests at the disposal of the Global Campaign against Climate Change while earning carbon credits to assist in national development. Rodrigues also made reference at the forum to the steps taken by CARICOM at a recent meeting for the initiation of a Regional Tourism Investment Fund and the UK’s support for the Fund. She concluded by expressing the hope that the forum would provide the opportunity for the countries to advance practical measures for cooperation in the areas she outlined and noted that CARICOM is looking forward to the support of the UK as the countries work to fulfill their sustainable development goals.

Guyana President Bharrat Jagdeo has long been advocating that countries with intact standing rainforests receive monetary compensation for the services these forests provide to the rest of the world as they store large amounts of carbon.

Read Full Article: Caribbean Net News: Climate change fundamental threat to sustainable development, says Guyana minister

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[Karl]

While probably not intended as the main point raised by the author, this idea sounds quite interesting:

Originally Posted by Karl

Guyana President Bharrat Jagdeo has long been advocating that countries with intact standing rainforests receive monetary compensation for the services these forests provide to the rest of the world as they store large amounts of carbon.

Does this (or some variation on the theme) sound like a good incentive for encouraging these "lesser developed", yet biomass/biodiversity-rich countries with tropical climates, to preserve and enhance their natural forest resources?

The benefits of doing so, will be much wider in scope than the context of this article (i.e. the role of these forests in global climate stabilisation), but what are the costs?

[Karl]

Climate change aid bitter-sweet for Guyana says president

Caribbean Net News – August 01, 2008

Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo says he is pleased that Guyana is among 14 countries selected for financial aid for combating tropical deforestation and climate change from an initial US$82 million partnership. Guyana will receive the funding from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), which is aimed at reducing deforestation and forest degradation by compensating developing countries for greenhouse gas emission reductions. However, the Guyanese leader expresses dissatisfaction with the mechanism through which these payments will be effected. "I'm arguing that it should change. It's a clean development mechanism and I'm arguing that this should be changed to a market-based mechanism especially to trade carbon and carbon dioxide from forest, that is, sequestered through tropical rain forests," he said.

Jagdeo argued that the forests store much carbon and, as such, the carbon in these forests needs to be given credits and the credits traded in the markets similar to the system that obtains in Europe. "Europe now, through an emissions trading scheme has been trading credits to the value of $33 billion. We feel that we can generate a significant amount of money for developing countries like ours if we were to have a market-based mechanism trading these credits," the president said. He argued that the forests produce the same type of service to the rest of the world and he did not understand why they should be treated any differently. The Guyana government has been continuing to put measures in place to ensure sustainable forestry management over the years and this has resulted in the country's rainforest still being fully intact. Jagdeo has been advocating for the country to be compensated for this, since developed countries have been contributing mostly to pollution through carbon emissions, while developing countries have faced the brunt of global warming and climate change.

Jagdeo has been in the forefront of the Caribbean for a year now, touting that countries like Guyana with large standing forests be compensated since they are playing a crucial role in mitigating the deadly effects of global warming. During a press conference with Conservation International (CI) in New York earlier this year, the president made Guyana’s forest available to be used as a model for studies. Guyana has also donated one million acres of its standing forest to Iwokrama International to be used as protected areas.

Guyana, along with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar; Bolivia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Nepal, Lao PDR, and Vietnam, will all receive funding from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) in an innovative approach to finance efforts to combat climate change. In a statement released by the World Bank, the FCPF is aimed at reducing deforestation and forest degradation by compensating developing countries for greenhouse gas emission reductions. The partnership, approved by the World Bank Board of Executive Directors on September 25, 2007, became functionally operational on June 25, 2008. The 14 tropical and sub-tropical countries are the first developing nations to receive grant support as they build their capacity for Reducing Emission from Deforestation Forest Degradation (REDD).

Guyana President Bharrat Jagdeo. AFP PHOTO

Source:Caribbean Net News: Climate change aid bitter-sweet for Guyana says president