Dear Editor,
Recently I was alarmed by the upsurge of rapid and expensive construction activities in the vicinity of the East Coast seawall in the Sparendaam area. I am sure that owners and contractors for these properties would have obtained these lands legally and would be rigidly following all the building rules and guidelines. My alarm and concern is that these property owners are completely dismissive of the strong and well-argued points made by President Bharrat Jagdeo and his Cabinet members regarding the effects of climate change, and in particular the increasing risks it poses to property from the sea-level rise.
These properties seem to be dangerously close to the sea defence and drainage reserves, and without exception the owners seem to believe that they can apply unique construction techniques to their individual properties to deal with the sea-level rise. There seems to be little regard for the surrounding nearby residents who have few resources to apply any adaptation measures. It is as if those with the resources are thumbing their noses at their neighbours, behaving with a selfishness and self-centredness unbecoming of Guyanese who believe in a common destiny.
Last year President Jagdeo led the launch of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which is trying to attract investments and provide resources for mitigation and adaptation to the effects of climate change. Those that clearly have access to resources who insist on continuing to build in close proximity to the seawall, demonstrate how much effort the government and all other like-minded people have to exert to change behaviour and ensure that we are all aligned to the same important message – that is, as a people we need to take measures to reduce risk and make ourselves more resilient to the effects of climate change.
It is not only those of us who indiscriminately dump garbage. It is also those of us who live insular lives, who show little understanding or commitment to respond to the effects of climate change, that will be called to account for how we as a country responded to it and to the call by President Jagdeo and his Cabinet to take measures to reduce the risks associated with sea-level rise.
I hope we will someday start to show more concern for our country.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
