…President lashes out against reckless mining, poor waste management

RECKLESS mining, poor waste management, and irresponsible human habits are among factors that continue to threaten Guyana’s “fresh air, clean water and the bountiful earth,” President David Granger said as the country continues to observe World Environmental Day 2019.

Amid a rich ‘cultural’ programme dedicated to highlighting the effects of pollution on the environment, President Granger said even as his Government stands committed to safeguarding the environment, companies and individuals must also play their part.

“Everyone has a responsibility to protect planet earth and the people who inhabit it by safeguarding the sources which sustain life. Damage and degradation of any or all of these sources threaten human existence and the only place where man can live – on planet earth,” President Granger told students, environmental officers, and other government officials seated beneath the Baridi Benab at State House on Thursday.

Here in Guyana, he said responsible actions are needed as the country faces environmental threats to its fresh air and clean water. “Our rivers are being polluted by reckless river-mining. The proliferation of plastic waste, especially single-use plastics, has compromised our drainage systems and precipitated floods. Careless solid waste management and irresponsible human habits have led to widespread littering and threats to public health,” he explained.

It was noted too that emissions from industries are polluting the air while chemical-laced waste and effluent are poisoning the waterways which are still used for bathing, drinking, fishing, swimming and washing in some remote communities here in Guyana.

Referencing to his address at the Third United Nations Environment Assembly (High-Level Side Event V) in Nairobi, Kenya, in December 2017, President Granger said pollution in the extractive industries continue to threaten environmental security by increasing human vulnerability to human-induced environmental degradation.

Protection of the environment, therefore, is an obligation not an option, the President stated while noting that the Constitution mandates the State to protect the environment for the benefit of present and future generations.

“The Government, in compliance with the Constitution, has taken steps to protect human life by safeguarding the environment. It is committed to preventing pollution and ecological degradation by preventing the contamination of our waterways, phasing-out the importation of single-use plastics and improving solid waste management,” he told those present.

Just recently, the Department of the Environment in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Environment presented President Granger and his Cabinet with the Green State Development Strategy: Vision2040, which would allow Guyana to develop into a ‘Green State.’

President Granger said Guyana is proud to be part of the ‘Guiana Shield’ – the ‘lungs of the earth.’ The Guiana Shield is one of the world’s last remaining blocks of pristine rainforest covering an area larger than Greenland.

“The Guiana Shield – the source of 15 per cent of the world’s freshwater reserves – is a global resource. It provides environmental services such as the regulation of the water cycle, water quality and pollination. Its forests contribute to air quality by capturing and storing carbon, thereby mitigating the greenhouse effect. Its biodiversity provides ecosystem services such as food, freshwater and medicinal products. The Shield is essential to life on planet earth.

The environmental services provided by our forests, including the forests of the Guiana Shield, help to provide clean air for the citizens of the world. The protection of our forests and the Shield’s biodiversity help to protect planet earth. We are part of that global resource,” President Granger detailed.

He noted that while mining remains a vital sector in the country’s economy, it is important to practise safe and sustainable mining. This, he said, would be in keeping with the Green State Development Strategy – the country’s road map towards the good life for everyone.
As it transition into a ‘green state,’ Guyana will demonstrate how its extractive industries – bauxite, diamond and gold mining and logging – can be aligned to the protection of the environment, the preservation of its biodiversity and the promotion of energy generation from renewable sources.

“We intend to: enforce our existing mining and environmental laws more rigorously so as to ensure robust environmental monitoring and to eradicate river pollution; eliminate the use of mercury from the gold mining sector eventually while introducing economically feasible alternatives to mercury; and employ greener and safer mining practices which minimize waste and reduce negative environmental impacts,” the Head of State detailed.

Detailing the harmful nature of mercury to human health and the physical environment whether in the air, on land or in water, he said prevention of mercury pollution is important.
Guyana is a signatory to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which is intended to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.

“The phased reduction and eventual elimination of the use of mercury is part of our national mining policy and is consistent with our obligations under the Convention. If we could eliminate the use of tobacco, we could eliminate the use of mercury eventually. Guyana’s commitment to the goal of reducing mercury emissions by 55 per cent within the next five years and to eliminate mercury use by 2027 is irrevocable,” he said.

Given the catastrophic effects of plastic pollution on the environment due to the indiscriminate and insanitary dumping of single-use plastics, he said the government is developing policies aimed at reducing, and eventually eliminating, plastic pollution. Government ministries, he said, have already been instructed to begin to phase out the consumption of single-use plastics, including plastic bags, containers, cups, cutlery, straws and water bottles in the short-term.

“The Green State Development Strategy proposes policies to encourage the safe disposal of solid waste. It also promotes policies aimed at minimizing solid-waste generation, recycling waste and improving collection and disposal. Government is resolved to boost the capability of our local and regional authorities to solve the problems associated with solid waste management. This will be supplemented by a vigorous public education campaign to promote responsible disposal of litter,” the president assured.

He made it clear that the government will accelerate its efforts to ensure a clean, healthy and hygienic environment for everyone by protecting the integrity of the rivers, proscribing single-use plastics and by strengthening the capacity of municipal, neighbourhood and regional administrations to improve their solid waste management. “Government’s efforts are part of its multi-faceted approach to environmental stewardship –education, enforcement of regulations, ecological consciousness by everyone, energy that is renewable and extractive industries that are sustainable and safe,” he assured.

Director of the Department of the Environment, Ndibi Schwiers said this year World Environment Day (June 5) placed the spotlight on the issue of air pollution, which is becoming a major global crisis.

According to statistics, air pollution is the largest cause of pollution deaths. It is estimated that air pollution affects 9 out of 10 people worldwide, and every year, around 7 million people die prematurely from inhaling polluted air.

These statistics, the Director noted, are very alarming, and because of the deadly consequences of air pollution, it warrants urgent attention.

“And whilst air pollution may not command the top position on our list as the most pressing environmental concern, it warrants attention as in many cases its invisible nature poses a threat to our most productive asset – our people and consequently, our aspirations of becoming a Green State by the year 2040,” Schwiers said.

UN Country Team Resident Representative, Mikiko Tanaka, said in an effort to improve air quality, the source and effects must be understood. “Deaths and illness from air pollution are caused by tiny particles that penetrate our defences every time we fill our lungs. These particles come from many sources: the burning of fossil fuels for power and transport; the chemicals and mining industries; the open burning of waste; the burning of forests and fields; and the use of dirty indoor cooking and heating fuels, which are major problems in the developing world,” Tanaka said as she too alluded to the statistics.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud also addressed the health implications caused by pollution. Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency and Dr. William Adu-Krow, the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) Country Representative were among other officials present.