APNU/AFC’s record on environment mediocre – Govt

…says former Govt did not earn a cent for Guyana in environmental services

The Department of the Environment on Wednesday reminded the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) of its mediocre record when it comes to the environment.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Department reminded that APNU/AFC left the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) an environmental protection slate that was in ruin. According to the Department, the coalition failed to undertake any major initiatives on protecting the environment, climate change, biodiversity, or conservation.
According to the Department, Guyana did not earn a cent in revenue for environmental services while APNU/AFC was in Government, nor was a new agreement with Norway established, owing to poor performance.
This is a reference to the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) project, under which Norway established an agreement with Guyana in 2010 to pay it US$250 million for maintaining its low deforestation rates.
The coalition, the Government said, inherited close to US$200 million earned by the PPP/C Government under the original Guyana-Norway Agreement, having tried to block the release of the same funds by writing to Norway when they were in Opposition. “Much of that money was then spent by the coalition, who took credit for the activities funded by those resources.
“The coalition replaced the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) with the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS), which took five years and millions of dollars to develop, but had no serious implementable deliverable and no one was clear on what it was about,” the Department also said.
It was pointed out by the Department that the APNU/AFC caused disbursements of over US$135 million to be suspended after the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruled that the APNU/AFC was illegally hanging on to power, following the successful passage of the December 2018 No-Confidence Motion.
“The PPP/C Government has since re-engaged Norway and commenced discussions towards a new agreement for forest climate services, while, once again, seeking opportunities to help international efforts on forest and climate.
“The PPP/C Government will welcome the engagement of all interested Guyanese and consultation will provide the means for a fact-based and scientific discussion around climate change, including its relationship with oil,” the Department added.
According to the Department, after APNU/AFC’s lacklustre representation of Guyana in climate matters, the PPP/C is now tasked with restoring Guyana’s position on the global stage as a country that punched above its own weight.
There has meanwhile been criticism of the government over the clearing of mangroves on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD). The developer, Tri-Star Development, is said to have cleared more mangroves than it was permitted to do to set up a shore-based facility to service the oil and gas sector.

Mangroves
According to the Department, in its statement, the Coalition’s concern for the mangroves is contrived and the APNU/AFC is misrepresenting the clearance of the mangroves. The Department noted that the coalition has an unenviable record when it comes to the riverbanks.
“The coalition ignores the mitigation measures to prevent flooding in this area, which have been detailed by the Ministry of Public Works. That said, this façade by the coalition will not distract from the fact that they illegally handed out over 30 plots of land on the riverbank to their party’s funders and supporters – majority of the transfers being done after the December 2018 No-Confidence Motion and, worse yet, after the March 2020 General and Regional Elections. Despite this week’s feigned concern, the truth is that the former APNU/AFC coalition Government did absolutely nothing for mangrove protection and restoration.”
According to the Department, work is already ongoing across a wide range of areas, to set out draft policies and strategies, including on Mangrove Protection and Restoration. It also noted that the PPP/C Government would establish and implement a national strategy for mangrove protection and restoration along our coastline and rivers.
On the matter of flaring, the Department noted that it was the APNU/AFC’s failure to act on the environment that allowed 14 billion standard cubic feet of gas flaring to be included in the environmental permit granted to ExxonMobil for the Liza 1 project.
“By contrast, within weeks of taking office, the PPP/C Government ensured that the environmental permit for the Payara Project activities included robust and enforceable conditions on excessive flaring – the provisions in this permit are as strong as those in the United States and elsewhere.”
“The PPP/C Government also worked to correct the massive flaws in the Liza 1 permit, and last week, the PPP/C Government issued a new environmental permit which realised a US$30/t payment for excess flaring,” the Department said.