Guyana must be compensated for forest preservation — Natural Resources Minister

by Mark DaCosta
Guyana’s Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat called on developed countries to support developing nations such as Guyana to protect the environment. The minister delivered the call during his feature address at a delegation dinner for the International Solar Alliance’s Fourth Regional Meeting of the Latin America and Caribbean Region on Thursday August 4. The minister iterated that Guyana has recommitted to sustaining its forest in the fight against climate change, and he said that Guyana will play its part in the fight against climate change. However, Minister Bharrat made it clear that developed nations must provide compensation.

The minister emphasised that, “We will continue our economic activities, but we will do so in a responsible, sustainable manner. We will keep our forest, but we need to be compensated. We need to ensure that there is economic livelihood for our people when we do so.”

Minister Bharrat added that Guyana has been able to effectively maintain 99.5 per cent of its forest which has the capacity to hold 19.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide. Activities such as logging and mining, which provide economic support for Guyanese, have in no way affected Guyana’s ability to fight climate change. Despite being a net zero carbon emitter, the country is working on an energy mix of solar, wind, hydro, and natural gas that will provide more reliable energy.

Iterating his call for compensation, Minister Bharrat said, “we need to have solid commitments to say that the developed countries will assist these smaller developing countries… or you have a forest…you keep your forest and we will ensure you are net zero by 2050 and we will ensure that the transition from fossil to renewable. That is the kind of commitment we need as we move forward. Otherwise, it will always be a gaff. We will come back, we will go again, we will go to different forums and we will continue to gaff.”