Sunday, June 15, 2025
Village Voice News
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Editorial
  • Letters
  • Global
  • Columns
    • Eye On Guyana
    • Hindsight
    • Lincoln Lewis Speaks
    • Future Notes
    • Blackout
    • From The Desk of Roysdale Forde SC
    • Diplomatic Speak
    • Mark’s Take
    • In the village
    • Mind Your Business
    • Bad & Bold
    • The Voice of Labour
    • The Herbal Section
    • Politics 101 with Dr. David Hinds
    • Talking Dollars & Making Sense
    • Book Review 
  • Education & Technology
  • E-Paper
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Editorial
  • Letters
  • Global
  • Columns
    • Eye On Guyana
    • Hindsight
    • Lincoln Lewis Speaks
    • Future Notes
    • Blackout
    • From The Desk of Roysdale Forde SC
    • Diplomatic Speak
    • Mark’s Take
    • In the village
    • Mind Your Business
    • Bad & Bold
    • The Voice of Labour
    • The Herbal Section
    • Politics 101 with Dr. David Hinds
    • Talking Dollars & Making Sense
    • Book Review 
  • Education & Technology
  • E-Paper
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Village Voice News
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Fallout from mowing down mangroves   

Staff Reporter by Staff Reporter
May 17, 2021
in News
Some of the Mangroves that were mowed down on the West Demerara

Some of the Mangroves that were mowed down on the West Demerara

0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

…WWF reiterates call for full environmental assessment of oil and gas development 

The World Wildlife Fund has called for a full environmental and social assessment of Guyana’s fledgling oil and gas industry, even as it alluded to the recent controversies surrounding the clearing of mangroves along the West Bank of the Demerara river.

READ ALSO

Guyanese Urged to Seize Extended Hours During GECOM Claims and Objections Exercise

Dr. Jeffrey Raises Alarms Over Electoral Readiness, Urges Opposition Unity

In a statement on Saturday WWF-Guianas reiterated its call for a full environmental and social assessment of the growing oil and gas sector, granted that the strategic decision has been made regarding its development.

Such an assessment will give decision-makers and the public-at-large an objective view of the range of impacts from the industry, that has already begun to transform the country.

The body said environmental and social Impact assessments, done at a project, sector or policy level provide a strong and objective means to help stakeholders to better understand issues that will affect them, their communities and the environment to which they are connected. It engenders the sharing and objective debate and can lead to the co-creation of long lasting and sustainable solutions that are less costly and less conflicting. Given the issues involved, this assessment should be done at the strategic and sectoral level.

“We call for such an assessment at a time when some developers in the oil and gas industry are demonstrating low interest in keeping to their promises and acting in good faith at the very least, and at times, even flouting the nation’s laws. In the case of the mangrove clearing, the developer seems to have cleared more mangrove forest than was in the proposed plan used in its application for an environmental permit. Why mangroves should be protected is obvious, and their destruction must not be accepted without great deliberation as to the costs versus benefits to society,” WWF said in its statement.

According to the agency mangroves protect the coastline and riverbanks in Guyana, connecting saltwater from the ocean to the freshwater produced by rivers. They play an important role in supporting Guyana’s rich biodiversity, as they feature complex ecosystems where aquatic wildlife, coastal birds and other animals thrive. An added value of these amazing forest ecosystems is their climate protection and mitigation benefits. They provide protection to coastal and riverine communities from erosion, flooding, and rising levels of the oceans, and they are known for their exceedingly high carbon storage potential that rivals terrestrial forests. For many communities, mangrove forests are also a key source of their livelihoods.

“But beyond the specific issue of mangroves and shore base development, the full development programme for offshore oil and gas production is yet to be known, and as such it is difficult to anticipate and plan ahead for these impacts. While a few may have a grasp of the issues, the average person has little chance to engage on most of these issues in a fact-based or rational manner. The reality is that the oil and gas sector will cause double-figure GDP growth over the next few years, starting from a growth rate of 43.5% in 2020 according to CARICOM. However, Guyana faces the reputational risk over the perception that it is forsaking a low-carbon and sustainable future through the way it is embracing the oil and gas industry. And there is the reality that the country’s carbon emissions has increased as a result of gas flaring, and it has now become a carbon emissions exporter as a result of the offshore oil and gas development.

Thought not a silver bullet, a full assessment of the oil and gas industry will certainly help. People need to be aware and fully engaged on such a mammoth transformational development that will make Guyana the biggest per capita petro-producer in the world in a few years’ time. A well-structured, transparent and equitable mechanism is needed for the country to have any chance to

ensure that the oil and gas sector does not destroy our society as has happened in most other oil producing developing countries, much less to ensure Guyana’s continued commitment to a lowcarbon and sustainable future. None of us would want to bequeath to the next generation untold economic, social and environmental burdens which unfortunately has happened elsewhere.

WWF welcomes the just released announcement that ExxonMobil and its partners CNOOC International Ltd and Hess Corp. will have to pay US$30 per tonne of CO2eq that they release from unregulated gas flaring from their offshore operation. We also welcome the stricter enforcement of planning permits and application of the law on specific project developments related to this new sector of the economy. These are good specific steps, but the issues are much bigger.

WWF continues to be committed to working with government and other stakeholders to mainstream sustainability in Guyana’s development efforts and help to reduce the environmental impact and protect sensitive habitats that will be irrevocably damaged by the oil and gas industry.

ShareTweetSendShareSend

Related Posts

News

Guyanese Urged to Seize Extended Hours During GECOM Claims and Objections Exercise

by Admin
June 15, 2025

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is ramping up preparations for the 2025 General and Regional Elections—and it’s giving every eligible...

Read moreDetails
Dr. Henry Jeffrey
News

Dr. Jeffrey Raises Alarms Over Electoral Readiness, Urges Opposition Unity

by Admin
June 15, 2025

With General and Regional Elections scheduled on September 1, former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government minister and political analyst, Dr....

Read moreDetails
L-R President Irfaan Ali and Azruddin Mohamed
News

Dr. Devonish Demands Full-Scale Probe into Ali–Mohamed Corruption Scandal

by Admin
June 15, 2025

President Irfaan Ali is once again under intense scrutiny as new allegations of corruption and political entanglements surface, threatening to...

Read moreDetails
Next Post
APNU+AFC Member of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan 

Ramjattan backs IRI-led electoral reform 


EDITOR'S PICK

CARICOM Assessing critical CSME Economic Free Movement Data 2023-08-16

August 17, 2023

African Guyanese demand equitable distribution of the nation’s patrimony

August 7, 2022
President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron stand on the stage during a State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Biden and Macron hold talks on Ukraine, climate, China

December 1, 2022

Is Guyana heading into an authoritarian regime?

July 11, 2021

© 2024 Village Voice

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Editorial
  • Letters
  • Global
  • Columns
    • Eye On Guyana
    • Hindsight
    • Lincoln Lewis Speaks
    • Future Notes
    • Blackout
    • From The Desk of Roysdale Forde SC
    • Diplomatic Speak
    • Mark’s Take
    • In the village
    • Mind Your Business
    • Bad & Bold
    • The Voice of Labour
    • The Herbal Section
    • Politics 101 with Dr. David Hinds
    • Talking Dollars & Making Sense
    • Book Review 
  • Education & Technology
  • E-Paper
  • Contact Us

© 2024 Village Voice