– Agri Minister makes statement at Second Plenary Session

Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, and UN Secretary General, Ban ki Moon, exchange handshake at the World Climate Conference in Geneva, Switzerland

Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud yesterday delivered an address at the third World Climate Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. His address was of remarkable relevance to the theme of the Conference – ‘Better climate information for a better future’ – considering the message he delivered regarding Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

The Conference, organised by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) of the United Nations and hosted at the Geneva International Conference Centre (GICC), brings together the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), representatives of related organisations, and heads and ministers of government from a number of countries.

Minister Persaud reasoned that the manifestations of a rapidly disintegrating global environment have arrested the attention of many states of the world, impacting economic and social developments and the natural environment. Consequently, policy frameworks and strategic focus have started to shift over recent years to take into account the impact of climate change.

“We are at a point where our policies and technical capacities at the national, regional and global level need to undergo a radical review in order to revamp climate services and make climate change adaptation, climate change mitigation and economic and social development possible in the years to come,” Minister Persaud posited.

He discussed Guyana’s approach to combating climate while advancing economic development as is contained in the LCDS draft document.

“It was recognized very early in Guyana that tackling the increasing challenges that climate change brings, cannot be successful, if initiatives to strengthen climate modeling are separated from other programmes aimed at economic development and social equity. The Government of Guyana has therefore sought to develop a holistic approach that aims to strengthen our climate services, adapt to and mitigate against climate change, preserving our ecosystem and biodiversity, all the while pursuing economic development and reducing poverty,” Minister Persaud stated.

The Agriculture Minister informed participants that 80% of Guyana’s territory is covered by pristine tropical rainforest. Unlike other countries with large forest cover, Guyana has had historically very low deforestation rates, averaging around 1% annually. Notwithstanding the low deforestation rate, the forest has come under pressure through the pursuit of economic opportunities. However, to preserve the forest without compromising the right of Guyanese to higher welfare and prosperity has been a cornerstone of the strategy. Deforestation, therefore, could be addressed in a pragmatic way by the provision of productive economic and employment alternatives which are more economically viable than the current drivers of deforestation.

Minister Persaud opined that actions to address tropical deforestation must, therefore, consider the root causes of deforestation – legitimate economic activities and creation of livelihood opportunities for all peoples. It is against this background that Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo commissioned a pioneering study executed by McKinsey Consulting Group, with support of the Clinton Climate Initiative, to assess the true value of Guyana’s forest by determining the value it provides to the nation and the world. The study found that Guyana’s forest could generate economic value to the nation of between $430 million and $2 billion per year. This wide range relates to variability driven by fluctuating prices for commodities such as logs, palm oil and rice –but the most likely economic value to the nation is about US$580 million per year.

He discussed the main tenets of the LCDS.

“The main areas for investment identified in the LCDS are: promoting the generation and use of renewable energy through the building of a Hydro Plant and various biofuels projects; improving access to unused, non-forested land for the purpose of high potential low carbon sectors such as aquaculture and fruits and vegetables, promoting the service sectors in Guyana through improved fiber optic bandwidth technology and thus make business process outsourcing services possible and help building the infrastructure for sustainable ecotourism,” he added.

The Conference concludes today, subsequent to conclusion of other Plenary Sessions and the closing ceremony.(GINA)