SIX exemplary students were, on Tuesday, awarded for their participation in the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)’s Green Energy and Renewables Essay Competition.

The competition which concluded on December 3, 2021, saw students aged 11-18 submitting well written pieces about what climate change, sustainable energy and the environment means to them.

Speaking at a simple prize giving ceremony held at the Promenade Gardens, Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat, highlighted the importance of balancing and preserving the environment.

“The conversation on climate change and the reduction of emission has grown significantly over the last years or so. The more we see evidence and effects of climate [change], the more the conversation goes,” the minister said.

He told the gathering that with proper planning and sustainable management, the country is bound to thrive for the future generations.

“We as a country and as government, we are committed to ensuring that we build on that, to ensure that we cut our emission even further, to ensure that we place more emphasis on the environment, he said.

Further, he emphasised the importance of our natural resources, noting that we must ensure that “we place more emphasis on sustainable mining and logging activities and ensure that we use revenue from the oil and gas sector to build on our renewable and transitional energy platform that we are going to embark on.”

He said that it is pertinent that Guyanese and people as a whole, be reminded of the significant importance of the environment.

To this end, he mentioned the significant gas-to-energy project which will cut emissions significantly and transform the economy by effectively reducing the cost of living.

In closing, the minister reiterated that climate change and cutting emissions has global effects and as such must be tackled through a global effort. “…It is everyone’s business because climate change is impacting every single country,” he said.

Also in attendance at the event were the Chinese Ambassador to Guyana, Her Excellency Guo Haiyan; Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson and President of CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited (CPGL), Liu Xiaoxiang.
Meanwhile, Janae Bristol, the winner for the junior category, received an Apple Tablet Pro for writing an invigorating essay on the need for Guyana to adapt to sustainable sources of energy to cut back on emissions.

The 14-year-old student of The Bishops’ High School told the Guyana Chronicle that she hopes to go back to her hometown, Linden, to share with her peers and those in her community, the importance of protecting the environment.

A writer at heart, Bristol noted that she is hoping to write more essays and poetry on environmental issues and to one day have them published so that they can be shared worldwide.

Ege Ochasi, a student of School of Nations, who copped third place in the senior category, rode away with an electrical scooter. He considers himself to be very passionate about the environment.

The young man noted that he participated in the competition to build his academic portfolio and to share with others the importance of protecting the environment.

Thuraia Thomas was the winner of this category while Shamari Cyrus copped the second position.