THOSE behind the mining protest launched in Bartica on Monday seem to be trying to cloud the big picture which basically is about Guyana trying to minimise damage to the environment from climate change.

And as a letter writer noted in a contribution published in this newspaper yesterday, those financing the well-organised protest campaign could have channelled part of the funds and mobilising energies into awareness and public education programmes for miners so that they understand the need for complying with environmental laws.

Climate change is no longer a debatable issue and it is a top priority for almost all governments around the world. What is at issue, among other factors, is the degree of commitment by some of the more developed countries to make the required greenhouse gas emission cuts to try to stabilise global warming.

The Guyana Government, led by President Bharrat Jagdeo, has earned international recognition for the part it is playing in the climate change battle and it is seeking to ensure compliance with laws meant to aid this process by all stakeholders, including the mining and forestry sectors.

Bartica, a town built as a supplier of services and goods to gold and diamond mining in Regions Seven and Eight, will no doubt maintain its status as a gateway to the interior; but it should be among communities trying to benefit more from other economic activities based on a low carbon economy. These could include eco-tourism and adding more value to some of the traditional economic activities.

Rather than trying to cloud the big picture and looking at short-term gains, we feel the protest organisers should be more involved in planning for the future which means not ignoring the climate change cause.

To illustrate the point, climate-change experts from around the world are to meet this month to share the latest knowledge about how communities can reduce their vulnerability, and how government policies can help make this happen.

Delegates at the 4th International Conference on Community-based Adaptation to Climate Change in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania will include representatives of governmental and intergovernmental agencies, research institutions and nongovernmental organisations.

They will be sharing information about ways communities can adapt to impacts of climate change using approaches such as water harvesting, alternative farming practices, and strategies to reduce the risk from disasters.

The meeting is being organised by the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Environmental Protection Management Services (EPMS, Tanzania), the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS), and the Ring Alliance.

IIED said special sessions will focus on how communities in urban areas or rural dry lands can adapt to climate change impacts such as heat-waves, floods and droughts.

“Climate change is a global problem but its impacts are always local and that means the solutions need to be too,” said Dr Hannah Reid, Senior Researcher at IIED.

“Communities around the world are already feeling the impacts of climate change and are taking action to reduce their vulnerability. What works in one setting could help limit impacts in many other places so it is important that these success stories are analysed, shared and supported by sound policies”, she said.

According to IIED, the conference aims to identify good strategies for sharing information within and between vulnerable communities, and will promote the integration of community-based adaptation into national policies and international development programmes.

We refer to this upcoming conference in Tanzania hoping that those not yet seeing the bigger picture will get the message.
Climate change is not a trifling matter