PPP / C, Alliance incapable of leading Guyanese to a safe and prosperous future – Int’l Lawyer
In the face of climate change …
International Lawyer, Melinda Janki.
Kaieteur News – When one considers the steps taken by the former coalition administration and the People’s Progressive Party / Civic Party (PPP / C), to move at lightning speed is near Guyana’s offshore oil production despite the polluting effect it will have on the environment, international The lawyer, Ms Melinda Janki, is convinced that the two political factions cannot lead Guyanese to a safe and prosperous future. He stated as much in a recent letter to Kaieteur News.
In her letter to the Editor, Janki sought to inform readers that US President Joe Biden is expected to hold a Climate Change Summit on April 22 and 23. He noted that the summit would deal with urgent action to address this phenomenon along with the economic benefits of doing so. Prime Minister Gaston Browne, from Antigua and Barbuda, and Prime Minister Andrew Holness, from Jamaica, are among the 40 leaders selected to attend. Janki was keen to point out that even though it was a key State in climate change, Guyana was not invited.
Expanding on this, Janki reminded that Guyana is a world leader in combating climate change. He said its forests and ocean make it one of the world’s few carbon sinks. In fact, Janki noted that Guyana is doing more every day to reverse climate change, than almost any other country on the planet. He emphasized, however, that while Guyana is currently a climate leader, he has, through his actions, transformed himself into a ticking carbon bomb.
In this regard, he highlighted that ExxonMobil, the Stabroek Block Operator, claims to have discovered about nine billion barrels of oil. Unless that oil production is halted, Janki said it would emit 3.87 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas. “That’s more than 250 years worth of emissions from Delaware, the state that President Biden represented in Parliament for 36 years,” the international lawyer expressed.
In addition, Janki noted that President Biden plans to spend US $ 2 trillion to tackle climate change including US $ 650 billion on clean energy conversion and US $ 174 billion to convert to electric vehicles. With this in mind, Janki said Guyana’s proposed petroleum production is in direct opposition to President Biden’s climate change goals and strategy. Furthermore, he said that this petroleum production for the Stabroek Block appears to be driven by the demands of ExxonMobil, a struggling American oil company, and not by concern for the welfare of the Guyanese people.
In addition to the above, Janki said that it should not be forgotten that the APNU + AFC and the PPP / C have recognized the threat of climate change. Last year, for example, the lawyer recalled that President Irfaan Ali warned that Guyana was ‘particularly vulnerable’ to climate change. He also stated that the Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, even calling climate change ‘an existential threat.’
With regard to the APNU + AFC, he recalled having produced a draft Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan, which warned in 2015 that Guyana was already experiencing ‘the potentially devastating adverse effects of climate change.’
Despite the recognition of both political parties, Janki asserted, “The PPP / C and their predecessors, the APNU + AFC Alliance, have repeatedly shown that they are too weak to stand up to ExxonMobil (and partners). The PPP / C and the APNU + AFC Coalition have crushed Guyana’s global political capital as a carbon sink. It is clear that the PPP / C and the APNU + AFC Coalition cannot lead Guyanese people to a safe and prosperous future in the face of the existential threat of climate change. ”
The international lawyer firmly stated that Article 36 of the Constitution states that the well-being of the nation depends on the preservation of clean air, fertile soils, pure water and the rich diversity of plants, animals and ecosystems. The lawyer therefore stressed that Article 36 should be the starting point for the immediate transition of Guyana to a blue-collar green economy powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
In conclusion, he said, “The people of Guyana can and must align now with the global movement to avert a catastrophe of climate, even while Guyana’s political elite remain stubbornly on the wrong side of history.”