Extremely proud of the President

Extremely proud of the President
Guyana Chronicle letter, 12 December 2007
I must say that I am extremely proud of Guyana’s President, who has
over the years gained remarkable stature in the international arena
through his debt lobby which has garnered significant debt relief for
us, paving the way for the realisation of more social services.

Following the current affairs closely, I see that he has been ardently
contributing to the climate change debate and has been proposing
compensation for standing forests. I think he is very bold to take his
initiative to international forums and even in the face of criticisms
that Guyana was selling its forest, he clarified his statement that
that is not so and continued his lobby.

A relative of mine living in London, informed me (via internet) that
the British press carried the president’s initiative, and that it
referred to it as a groundbreaking step in the climate change fight.

Kudos, Mr. President, you are indeed a brave and caring man, for if
your initiative is accepted, then Guyana will definitely be a better
place for future generations. As far as I am aware no other CARICOM
leader has come up with such initiative.

I was further impressed when I read what he told the business people
at a meeting in Kampala aside the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting in November. I would therefore, like to share the article on
this meeting that was published on November 25:

Addressing Heads of Government, about 500 business leaders and
government officials in Kampala, Uganda, the President emphasised the
need for solutions to provide incentives for avoiding deforestation to
be placed at the heart of a comprehensive agreement on climate change.
Tropical deforestation causes about 18% of global emissions of
greenhouse gases – about the same as India and China combined, or the
combined total of the entire transport sector, including aviation.

He told the audience of Guyana’s willingness to identify mechanisms
whereby the country’s rainforest, which is the size of England, can be
deployed in the global battle against climate change. The President
emphasised that rainforest countries could not be expected to sacrifice
their economic development in order to combat climate change on behalf
of the world. However, he said that he believed that ways could be
found to balance sustainable forestry management practices with
ground-breaking initiatives to support the global battle against
climate change.

The President emphasised that Guyana’s offer will not involve the
ceding of sovereignty over Guyana’s territory. He said that the
identification of the specific mechanisms for deploying the rainforest
will take time, and that all ideas will be considered, whether proposed
by domestic or international stakeholders. However, he indicated his
expectation that the most sustainable long-term solution will involve
the engagement of the global capital markets. The President said that a
market-based approach is more likely to devise long-term workable
solutions. According to the President, these solutions will not involve
the termination of economic activities within the forest - these will
continue to be supported provided that they are carried out in a manner
which is compatible with sustainable forestry management practices.

Leading climate change activists have also come out in support, with
Hylton Murray, the head of the London-based Rainforest Concern saying
“In the absence of an international agreement, an early action by
enlightened leaders should be greatly welcomed. Business as usual is
not going to work.” Murray, who is working to bring funding into
developing carbon markets, also said “It is insanity that a single
service company, Google, has a market value of $200 billion, while all
the services of all the world’s great forests are valued at nothing.”

Quoted in the Independent, President Jagdeo said that he “was looking
for a partner to sit across the table with” to work out the precise
terms of any deal – “we are a country with the political will and a
large tract of a standing forest. I’m not a mercenary, this is not
blackmail and I realise there’s no such thing as a free lunch…”
However, he emphasised that “We can deploy the forest against global
warming and … it wouldn’t have to stymie development in Guyana.”
JOYCELYN SINGH