GUYANA emits insignificant amounts of greenhouse gases, according to the second National Communication that the country will submit as part of its obligations to the Conference of Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded preparation for the report which was launched Monday, at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC). It details Guyana’s role in the global effort to enhance carbon sinks (storage of carbon emissions).
“This project has helped to place climate change as a priority on the national agenda…. more importantly it has supported Guyana to meet its reporting obligations to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in a timely manner,” Head of the Climate Change Unit of the Office of the President, Shyam Nokta, told the gathering at the launch.
The report follows the initial submission in 2002 prior to an agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2007, for the implementation of the second National Communication.
The seven-chapter report gives a description of the physical characteristics of Guyana’s natural resources, climate hydrology and other facts, a detailed analysis of fuel consumption, and a tabulation of greenhouse gas production from different sectors.
Other chapters are dedicated to climate change adaptation and mitigation measures and alternatives to promote green energy in keeping with the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), research and systematic observation systems and the technology needed to maintain Guyana’s record in promoting low carbon emissions, public education and capacity building.
Its scientific content was scrutinised and validated by the scientific community and the Guyana Government was encouraged by the UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Khadija Musa, to safeguard its data. She was present at Monday’s launch along with President Donald Ramotar.
Nokta touted it as living proof that Guyana is maintaining its obligations under the UNFCCC since signing on in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio, before attaining ratification in August 1994.
Work has already commenced on the third report in the ongoing campaign to show the world how important forests are in the fight against climate change and its far-reaching consequences on the global environment.
“Through the implementation of projects under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), we are witnessing an economic transformation both at the national level as well as the local level, and in this effort we expect to reduce our environmental as well as our carbon footprint,” Nokta said.
The report noted a one-degree rise in mean annual temperature within the last century, with a four-degree temperature rise predicted if the current trends continue, Nokta said. The country also stands to lose 10 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030 from flooding alone.
Conservative estimates under the LCDS attached a cost of US$1B for effective climate change adaptation measures.
The facts are daunting for a country with 90 percent of its population and 75 percent of its economic activities residing and operating on a coastline below sea level.
“Our agriculture, fisheries and industries are extremely sensitive to extreme weather events and sea-level rise. We continue to witness an increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and preparing for this has become a major priority for us,” President Ramotar said.
Consistent and comparable data on greenhouse gas emissions is essential for the international community to take the most appropriate action to mitigate climate change, according to Ms. Musa.
Still many remain unconvinced that action on the part of the international community in supporting the climate change fight has moved beyond rhetoric, even as those most affected are pursuing resilient efforts to adapt and mitigate.
“We will continue to invest heavily in rehabilitating, maintaining and expanding our sea and river defences and drainage and irrigation systems, and take the necessary steps to increase our resilience to climate change. We recognise, however, the high cost of adaptation and the need for the international community to fast track support which was agreed on in 2009 in the Copenhagen agreement and reiterated at the RIO+20 conference,” President Ramotar said.
The government is moving towards a comprehensive National Adaptation Plan and is counting on the findings of the National Communication document to help build greater climate resilience.
The UN Resident Representative reported that the sum total of official reduction pledges from all countries tally up to 60 percent of what is needed to limit the temperature increase to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial level.
Guyana’s energy sector was cited as the main emitter of greenhouse gases due to the burning of fossil fuel, but with plans to invest in the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, emissions are to be reduced.
The Government of Norway, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on forest preservation, made two disbursements totalling US$70M to the Guyana REDD Investment Fund (GRIF).
The funds have already been signed off for disbursement to support priority projects under the LCDS, and President Ramotar is highly optimistic that over the coming months, this will be used to advance the next wave of LCDS projects, focusing on new livelihood opportunities and climate change adaptation mechanisms.
The partnership with Norway has been hailed as a model forest climate services arrangement that proves to the world how partnerships between developed and developing countries can forge a national-scale model that promotes forest preservation without foregoing economic development.