THERE continues to be a significant buzz about Guyana, largely because of the country’s nascent oil-and-gas sector, but we cannot be myopic and fail to recognise that Guyana ought to continue pursuing its low-carbon, sustainable development efforts. Quite literally, our survival depends on it.

Guyana’s low-lying coastal plain, where most Guyanese live and work, is increasingly threatened by rising sea levels and flooding due to climate change. One international study has led to projections that Georgetown could be underwater as soon as 2030- eight years from now.

Further, according to a recent report from the World Bank Group titled, “360° Resilience: A Guide to Prepare the Caribbean for a New Generation of Shocks,” Guyana is expected to have the second-largest average shoreline retreat by 2050.

Cognizant of these studies, Guyana has to seriously focus on how it can adapt to and/or mitigate the effects of climate change. And I believe our “energy future” plays a huge role in this.

This week, an International Energy Conference and Expo will be hosted in Guyana. In addition to top government officials from Guyana and other countries, industry experts are expected to congregate right here in Guyana and all discuss ‘Charting a Sustainable Energy Future.”

That theme immediately conveys the idea that we will see rich discussions on sustainable, or renewable, energy and potentially, partnerships to chart that future. This conference, however, cannot be divorced from the overarching reality: Guyana is now an attractive, oil-producing state and much of the new-found interest in Guyana is premised on opportunities emerging from that sector.

Guyana, in policy, has not strayed from a concerted focus on low-carbon development. Admittedly, policies may have shifted from “low carbon” to “green state” but, I believe, intrinsically the same aspiration remained constant, even if methods to achieve that differed. And so, there is no absence or dearth – again, in policy – of intentions to chart a sustainable future. The poignant question has been whether Guyana will be able to balance its pursuit in oil and gas alongside its low-carbon development.

I believe that this is, potentially, complicated. Some of our local leaders, who have been at the forefront of low-carbon development, do not necessarily agree.

Certainly, concerns about the oil industry reversing low-carbon gains are not unfounded. The industry contributes significantly to global emissions of harmful greenhouse gases. These gases contribute to global warming and exacerbate the climate crisis, resulting in disastrous implications such as rising sea levels (which, of course, directly impacts Guyana).

Still, Vice-president Bharrat Jagdeo has argued, the country can still be a “net-zero carbon emitter.” This means that the expansive, intact forests can suck in and balance out the harmful gases produced – not just in Guyana, but elsewhere.

Guyana’s forest stores 21.8 billion tonnes of carbon, which, if cut down, would release all of that into the atmosphere, further causing harm to the environment. Protecting the forest and even getting money from other countries to protect the forest continues to be a focus for Guyana.

Because Guyana continues to save the forest amid oil production, the Vice-president believed that Guyana’s oil industry will not catastrophically worsen the climate crisis. Guyana also intends to leverage the oil-and-gas industry to spur renewable energy pursuits, which include bringing natural gas onshore and advancing the Amaila Falls hydropower project.

The increased use of renewable energy such as hydropower is part of the global push to reduce countries’ dependence on fossil fuels such as oil, that release those harmful gases. Of course, climate adaptation, particularly in small-island developing states and low-lying countries, remains a complex topic with nuances in vulnerability, financing, reparations, and climate justice. It’s not a simple black-and-white discussion. The larger, developed countries have historically (and still continue to) emit more of the harmful gases to the detriment of these smaller countries.

With this context in mind, the question remains: can Guyana have the best of both worlds? I hope we can see more practical discussions on Guyana’s pursuit as a low-carbon oil producer at this conference in the week ahead.

If you would like to connect with me to discuss this column or any of my previous works, feel free to email me at vish14ragobeer@gmail.com