Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira on Saturday explained to Region Seven residents that the Government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 is a “mixed energy approach” to address the issue of climate change.
Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira at the consultation in Region 7
She noted that the new and expanded LCDS allows for sustainable development in every sector including agriculture, oil and gas, and infrastructure, while at the same time, reducing the effects of climate change and protecting the environment.
Speaking at the LCDS consultation in Bartica, Minister Teixeira stated, “When we look at what we call a mixed energy approach, we will continue to exploit oil and gas, to reduce the cost of electricity, so that our people will have reliable, affordable electricity, and also the manufacturers and others will have [a] reliable source to produce”.
The Minister explained that, “we intend to use the oil and gas revenues to be able to develop the country in a faster way, than if we didn’t have oil and gas”.
She pointed to the tremendous benefits that will accrue to the citizens of Guyana, as it will create hundreds of jobs.
Region 7 residents at the consultation of the LDCS 2030
Minister Teixeira noted too, that over the past seven years, Guyana has earned approximately US$200 million through carbon services. This means the country was generating income by sustainably managing its the rainforest.
Minister Teixeira further affirmed that Guyana has one of the best forest management programmes in the world.
Meanwhile, the Minister said the LCDS will allow for newer methods to be established, to protect Guyana’s agriculture sector.
“We have to use science and technology to help us to reduce the impact of flooding in our country, and that means infrastructure, which is expensive. We have to look at ways in which we can also use agriculture, in a way that is not always subjected to flooding,” she said.
Further, Minister Teixeira assured citizens that Government will continue to build the necessary infrastructure, like sea defences.
Residents were also given an overview of the LCDS by Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), Vanessa Benn.
