His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has called for the creation of a new global coalition to deal with urgent problems like climate change, food security, and energy security.
President Ali was giving the keynote speech at the second International Energy Conference and Expo at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown, at the time.
He talked about how these problems are linked and how important it is to get everyone involved in finding good solutions.
“We can’t deal with these problems without also dealing with the people involved in them. “So, how can we lead a new world effort to build a coalition that tackles these problems that the world we live in faces and will face in a worse way?” President Ali asked the crowd.
The president’s call to action comes at a very important time. Extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and the loss of biodiversity are just some of the effects of climate change that are making the world more dangerous. As populations grow, food and energy security have also become very important.
President Ali said it was important to avoid being righteous when talking about these problems.
From the point of view of an oil-producing country, he said that Guyana would continue to use its natural resources in a responsible way so that all of its people could grow and be happy.
“I also come from one of the most environmentally friendly countries in the world. We didn’t get this credential by chance. It’s part of what we’ve been given by nature,” he said.
President Ali said that Guyana’s forest is more than 18 million hectares and holds more than 21 gigatons of carbon. He said that the carbon forest in the country is worth US$162 billion.
President Ali said that the value of voluntary carbon markets around the world, with about 500 million carbon credits, is close to US$2 billion.
A signed deal gives Guyana a value of $US750 million for the next ten years.
“That’s 40% of all the agreements the world has signed. What do we do as a country?” “I say that we should celebrate this success because it is visionary, proactive, long-lasting, and increases the value of our natural resources,” he said.
The president also said that the government first made a Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) so that investments could bring in money and help promote sustainable development.
When the government came back to power in 2020, the strategy was changed to LDCS-2030 to reflect the current situation. It is now a key part of the country’s development platform.
“We understand what the LCDS can do… The LCDS is an example of a practical document, and the head of state said that Guyana wants the LCDS to be a model for sustainable development.
Carbon credits are tradable permits that countries or companies can pay for through a forest payment scheme that Guyana is currently putting into place.
Hess Corporation recently promised to give US$750 million to Guyana as part of a special carbon credits program that encourages the protection of forests. About 15% of the money made will go to the indigenous communities in Guyana.
President Ali said that the Toshaos will get their first payment on Wednesday. This shows that the government is serious about helping and empowering Amerindian communities.
He said that Guyana wants to use its oil wealth to help diversify the economy.
Already, the country is working on a project called Gas-to-Energy, which should cut the cost of electricity by more than half.
From February 14-17, the Conference and Expo are being held with the theme “Harnessing Energy for Development.” It brings together policymakers, academics, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and global energy leaders in sustainable development from all over the world.
Ivan Duque, who was the former president of Colombia, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, who was the president of the Republic of Suriname, Keith Rowley, who was the prime minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Ralph E. Gonsalves, who was the prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, also spoke at the forum. Ministers of the government, diplomats, and people from the private sector were also there.
