IN a stark and timely address at the opening of the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP) on Tuesday, President, Dr Irfaan Ali delivered a sobering warning about the rapid deterioration of global commitment to climate and environmental action.
As wars and geopolitical conflicts dominate international agendas, the Guyanese Head of State cautioned that hard-won gains in the fight against climate change are slipping away at an alarming pace.
“Let’s take a moment and reflect on how much grounds we have lost in the last two years on climate, the environment and forests.

“The world in which we’re living has changed so drastically over the last two years that the focus on these important matters is slowly shifting with rapid impact. If you look at the news cycle today, it is all about wars and conflicts and finding peace and sending peace ambassadors out and trying to avoid wars,” the Head of State said.

He stressed that global priorities have shifted dangerously, pushing critical environmental issues down the policy agenda.
“We must ask ourselves, is the climate timetable being pushed back?” he questioned, noting that the effects of climate change are intensifying year after year.
Current global policy framework is not only deprioritising climate issues, but also neglecting the planet’s biodiversity, which Dr. Ali warns is on the brink of catastrophic loss.
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By the time the world gets around to a serious discussion on biodiversity, we will lose 90 percent of our biodiversity,” he said, citing the delay in meaningful action as potentially irreversible.
President Ali paid tribute to the generations of environmental pioneers who laid the foundation for today’s climate initiatives, urging the stakeholders of FCLP to advance discussions and actions on climate changes.
He said: “We have a duty and responsibility, especially to those before us who have done ground-breaking work to get us to where we are… And I want you to applaud yourselves for being part of this.”

Through national action and global co-operation, the FCLP brings committed countries together to stop forest loss, restore land and support sustainable, inclusive rural development by 2030.
Back in 2024, Dr Ali had announced the launch of the Global Biodiversity Alliance during his address at the United Nations General Assembly.

This initiative aims to unite biodiversity-rich countries to develop scalable models for environmental protection, building upon Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030.
The alliance, which is expected to come to fruition in July, seeks to create a market for biodiversity credits.

Through a voluntary market approach Guyana has been earning money to conserve its forest; a per cent of this is distributed to indigenous communities across the country.