– revised LCDS
Guyana will this year prepare a comprehensive climate change adaptation plan to address the most urgent issues during the period from 2010 to 2015, as outlined in the latest draft of the Low Carbon Development Strategy.
The new draft of the LCDS sets out Guyana’s’ adaptation challenges – including US$1 billion in overall infrastructural development needs, and about US$300m of priority requirements. The adaptation goes together with the mitigation measures outlined, which have to do with the protection of the rainforest in a bid to stem emissions which lead to global temperature rise.
The document said that if a properly scaled REDD + mechanism is agreed upon, Guyana will use part of its payment for forestry services to self-finance adaptation investments.
“Until such time, Guyana will access resources as agreed in the Copenhagen Accord for adaptation – specifically Fast Start Funds for 2010-2012, and 2013-2020 financing,” the strategy document said.
It said also that in light of the developments at Copenhagen, the Government of Guyana is currently identifying what Adaptation measures should be prioritized for the period 2010-2012. “These will be summarized in a comprehensive Climate Adaptation Plan, to be completed by the third quarter of 2010,” the document stated.
Among the major priorities for adaptation is the upgrading of infrastructure and assets to protect against flooding through urgent near-term measures at a tune of US$225m. This will include maintaining and upgrading the intricate drainage and irrigation system of Guyana and the construction and rehabilitation of sluices, kokers, revetments and embankments.
“It will also require empoldering as well as the continuous dredging and de-silting of Guyana’s major rivers and creeks,” it said. It added that smaller but crucial rivers that protect major farming areas from flooding, such as the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary rivers, will also benefit under this initiative.
The sea wall which protects most of the low-lying coastal areas from the Atlantic will be reinforced, the document stated. Groynes to reduce siltation of outfalls will be constructed and additional drainage pumps will be installed in strategic locations across the coastline.
The East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) which protects Georgetown, the East Bank and most of the East Coast from excess water, among other functions, will be upgraded in line with the recommendations coming out of the Conservancy Adaptation Pre-investment Study, which focuses on the design of specific adaptation measures for the EDWC. Other conservancies around the country will also be strengthened.
Hinterland Adaptation Measures will cost US$10 m and will include the development, reproduction and distribution of plant varieties and crop management techniques that are suitable for hinterland communities, ensuring the sustainability and further development of their livelihoods. In addition, all-weather roads and bridges which are crucial to the transport of agricultural inputs to markets will be constructed.
Further, training and educational programmes and the introduction of additional drainage and irrigation equipment in particularly vulnerable areas will need to be provided, in order to improve the capacity of hinterland communities to prepare for and deal with the impacts of more extreme weather events.
The document said that solar and wind power for water distribution, facilities for rain water harvesting, and the creation of systems that will guarantee access to safe drinking water during crisis situations will also be pursued under this initiative.
It noted that environmental impacts from climate change will also need to be incorporated into building designs, particularly for clay, sandy and loam areas.
Addressing systematic and behavioural concerns is estimated to cost US$33 m and these initiatives include significantly revamping Guyana’s early warning system and improving the timely and accurate collection and dissemination of data and information on weather-related events and their impacts on the ground.
In addition, an emergency response system will need to be set up that will minimize the risks to public health, ensure that crucial civil structures such as the major infrastructure, safe drinking water systems and electricity and communications networks are maintained in a functioning state. Training and education campaigns of the wider population will also be provided.
Developing innovative financial risk management and insurance measures will cost US$10m and will include the conceptualization and introduction of instruments suitable in the Guyana context, that will aim to introduce incentives to avoid and reduce all possible sources of risk ex ante, while aiming to transfer risks that are outside of the control of individuals and firms to third parties, which will compensate the insured in the event of an extreme event ex-post. Significant investments will need to be channelled towards training, data collection and transmission systems, particularly in relation to vital weather and hydrological information.
Another adaptation measure being contemplated is the switching to flood resistant crops, estimated to cost US$10m. These initiatives, the latest draft said, will include the funding of research to identify flood resistant crops that are applicable to the Guyana, the creating of flood-proof germplasm banks and the introduction of new technology that allows for cultivation of crops during prolonged flood conditions. Research into flood-resistant varieties of rice has already commenced and some of these varieties are under commercial cultivation with promising results, although research and development of these varieties are ongoing to make them resistant to longer periods of inundation.