WHEN President Dr. Irfaan Ali spoke to the world’s energy leaders at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston this week, he called for “equitable financing” and “a global energy balance”.
He identified a clear moral and mathematical inconsistency in the climate discussion. The regions with the fastest-growing energy demands are getting the least amount of capital to fuel their future.
His push to change the global conversation from a narrow “energy transition” to a more truthful “energy balance” should be more than just applauded. It should guide how Guyana, the Caribbean, and the broader Global South engage with capital markets and climate discussions.
The numbers support this argument. Global clean-energy investment hit a record US$3.3 trillion in 2025, but that money is mostly going to China, the United States, and the European Union.
Meanwhile, Africa and Latin America, where energy poverty is common, receive far too little funding. Fossil fuels still account for over 80 per cent of global consumption, and even the International Energy Agency’s net-zero scenarios admit that oil demand will only slowly decrease through 2050.
Telling new producers to abstain under these conditions is, as the President noted at COP30 in Belém, “a form of protectionism”. This practice helps wealthy companies while denying new entrants the same opportunities that the developed world had.
What makes the address in Houston significant is that Guyana is no longer just presenting theories.
The Low-Carbon Development Strategy 2030 has already achieved the world’s first jurisdictional forest carbon credits under the ART-TREES framework. It has generated over US$400 million in carbon revenue in three years, and allocated 15 per cent of that revenue to more than 240 villages in the hinterland.
When fully operational, the Gas-to-Energy project at Wales is expected to cut electricity costs in half. Additionally, solar farms at Trafalgar, Prospect, Hampshire, and soon Linden are quietly replacing diesel and stabilising the grid.
This is the dual-track approach the President emphasises: Using hydrocarbon revenues to fund a low-carbon future. It’s exactly the credible and replicable model that international investors claim to seek.
However, credibility alone will not secure the grants, transition finance options, and technology assurances that the Global South requires. Guyana needs to turn its growing diplomatic influence into solid agreements: Closer ties with the Bridgetown Initiative, a broader South-South energy partnership, and binding commitments from multilateral lenders to reduce financing costs for well-governed producers.
Carbon prices need to reflect actual costs. Fossil fuel subsidies in wealthy nations must be phased out, and competition should focus on carbon intensity rather than past practices.
President Ali has set the terms for this debate. The real, tough work lies in turning “energy balance” into practical financial instruments and enforceable regulations. This effort will decide whether Guyana’s voice can reshape the global financial system or just echo within it.
