Dear Editor,
GUYANA has listed its Carbon Credits on the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) platform and stands to earn over USD300M and yet a ‘group’ calling itself Policy Forum Guyana (PFG) asserts that Guyana has “tattered credibility on climate issues.” A cursory examination of the release from this ‘group’ poses serious questions of its credibility, motives, and its very existence.

The release dated 15th January, 2022, begins: “The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) believes” but is on a PFG letterhead, but the address is the same as the GHRA’s (56B Austin Place & Hadfield Sts). There is no signature on the PFG release to add to the confusion. We already know that the GHRA is the exclusive domain of Mike McCormack and Merle Mendonca and the fact that the GHRA and PFG also share the same phone number (227-4911) adds to the perception that the PFG is a shell for McCormack’s shill; who knows, maybe Merle answers the phone for PFG and Mike for the GHRA …

To refute the arguments made by McCormack in the PFG/GHRA release is not a difficult task; Guyana has listed 5.31 Gigatons (5,310,000,000,000 kg) of Carbon on ART, which is a voluntary international initiative that, among other things, serves as a global quality benchmark for forest emission reductions that can enter fungible carbon offset markets.

Guyana’s recent listing of carbon credits was subject to rigorous scientific examination before listing; PFG/GHRA simply spout baseless assertions and seem to be grasping for relevance in a post-Granger world. Guyana remains a leader in the ‘Green’ world, our Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) is the ‘gold standard for global development and a read of the Das Gupta Review (2021) reveals how much Guyana has influenced the world’s thinking on the environment

Guyana remains a leader in the global environmental arena despite its entry into the small group of oil-producing nations. The small group of naysayers in our midst who claim to be ‘environmentalists’ and would rather us not produce oil, sit in Georgetown with an abundance of electricity powered by diesel generators (GPL and private) and have no plan or clue on how to improve the lives of the majority of Guyanese. There must be a special circle in hell for people who have theirs and want to pull up the ladder.

The GHRA/PFG/McCormack’s views on the domestic policies of Brazilian President Bolsonaro are best addressed to the Brazilian people who enjoy the democratic right to choose their government without five-month delays and attempts to steal the elections as the Granger administration did in 2020. McCormack/PFG/GHRA was noticeably silent during that testing and defining period in Guyana’s history. GHRA/PFG or whatever they choose to call themselves need to work on earning some credibility and on arriving at logical positions based on fact, not mere conjecture. Guyana’s status as an oil-producing nation does not automatically translate into her becoming an environmental rogue. The (updated) LCDS 2030 document is a worthy read for anyone wanting to make a meaningful contribution to Guyana’s environmental policies.
Yours sincerely
Robin Singh