-Jagdeo

The low carbon development strategy (LCDS) is not about political mileage, President Bharrat Jagdeo has declared, saying that it maps out measures that would have to be implemented in the long run as a result of the climate change threat.

He was at the time addressing an auditorium packed with youths at the Guyana International Conference Centre during an awareness  youth forum Friday on the LCDS, organized by the Office of Climate Change in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

His assertion followed a question from one of the youths of the President’s Youth Award Programme, who in the light of the opposition boycott of parliament the day a motion was passed in support of the strategy, wanted the president to clear the air on the perception that the government was taking this step to gain political mileage.

In his response Jagdeo noted that whether the government and the opposition agreed on the strategy or not the main issue is climate change, “and this is a reality.”

He said regardless of whatever political rambling there is, it would not be the right thing to lose sight of the real issue at hand since non-action could mean that everyone would suffer.

He added that the strategy would have to be implemented in the long run and would have to continue even if the government changes. “Politicians will have to follow once the people support this,” Jagdeo assured, adding that “there is not politics in all of this.”

The youths, who were attentive throughout the president’s interactive presentation, seemed already knowledgeable about the strategy and the reasons behind it.

They questioned the apparent inability to control littering in the society and Jagdeo acknowledged that the problem was with enforcement although fines have been substantially increased.

He noted that this was a matter which would have to be addressed.

The president also restated that the strategy was Guyana’s approach to promoting economic development in an environmentally sustainable way and a key part of the strategy involves the deployment of the country’s rainforest towards addressing global climate change.

He declared too that Guyana is at a key point in national development and there is need for development options to be considered such as opening up new lands for agriculture and expanding into new economic sectors.

Jagdeo noted that the increase in global temperatures could have catastrophic effects, resulting in extreme weather patterns.