GUYANA remains committed to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change which it signed on to in 2016 and maintains that Climate change remains a high priority for government.
The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which deals with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020.
On Friday, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, at post -Cabinet press briefing, reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to the Paris Agreement in comments on the United States withdrawal from that agreement.

Harmon noted that the impact of global warming is already being felt in Guyana, particularly in the hinterland as he referenced the recent severe flooding which took place in Regions 7 (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) & 8 (Potaro/Siparuni) two weeks ago. “For many people in our hinterland (climate change) is a way of life. They’ve actually come around to understanding that climate change will affect their daily lives and their livelihood.”
In 2015, Guyana was among 195 countries which committed to fighting the effects of climate change and adapt to its effects by signing onto the Paris Agreement under the UNFCCC. Guyana was the 17th country to deposit its instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The Paris Agreement has been hailed as providing a historic opportunity for the global community to respond to the challenge of climate change in an appropriate manner. Efforts to combat climate change and its impacts are of particular importance for low-lying coastal developing states like Guyana.
The early ratification of the Paris Agreement is consistent with the stated commitment of the Government of Guyana to strong action towards the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change.

Meanwhile, Harmon described the withdrawal of the US from the Agreement as “unfortunate” while noting that “the rest of the world is going in a certain direction”.
On Thursday, United States President Donald Trump announced his country’s withdrawal from the accord. The move by the US President has since raised some concern about financing and Harmon made it clear that the US is a major contributor to many international agreements like the Paris Agreement. However, the Minister is confident that countries can mitigate the impact of this withdrawal. “We believe the force of global push in this regard will see us overcoming the effects of a withdrawal of the United States of America from this process”, Minister Harmon said.

The Minister added that going forward the international community will now have to “regroup and have a fresh look” at their commitments under the Paris Agreement.
In keeping with its pursuit of a low carbon and green growth trajectory of sustainable development, Guyana’s contribution will be especially focused on the preservation and sustainable management of its forests, and increased reliance on renewable sources of energy.

(GINA)