President Irfaan Ali has been asked by a UK Minister about Guyana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) which deals with cutting carbon emissions and fashioning climate change policies.
This was disclosed today in a release by the Office of the President. The question by the United Kingdom Minister for Europe and the Americas, Wendy Morton is significant as Guyana went to the high-level UN COP26 conference in Scotland without an NDC.
In Georgetown last week the government said it would not be presenting its updated NDC to the conference until after a four-month consultation on its enhanced Low Carbon Development Strategy.
Given the gravity of the climate crisis, Guyana’s decision not to present its NDC would not have been received well. While addressing the COP26 conference today, President Ali however announced that Guyana was aiming to reduce its carbon emissions by 70 per cent by 2030. This commitment would be a key component of Guyana’s NDC. It is unclear whether the President made the commitment before or after the meeting with Morton.
A statement by the Office of the President follows:
His Excellency Dr Irfaan Ali held bilateral discussions with the United Kingdom’s Minister for Europe and the Americas (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), the Honourable Wendy Morton, at the Scottish Event Campus, where he outlined Guyana’s climate change plans and concerns.
The Guyanese Head of State, who is in Glasgow, Scotland for the 26 United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), informed Morton, who is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, of Guyana’s expanded Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) that was launched last week for national consultation.
President Ali emphasised the value of the country’s standing forests and his Government’s quest to enhance the livelihoods of its citizens with new opportunities.
He also highlighted the current woes faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS); he lobbied for a multidimensional vulnerability index (MVI) fund and for developing countries to not only fulfil their current pledges but also state how they intend to do so.
The President underscored the climate emergency and the need to function as a collective unit. With that in mind, he also spoke of the desire by many to restructure existing loans to help countries not only bounce back on their feet but to satisfy commitments to climate change.
President Ali and the UK official also discussed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to reprioritise finances to deal with issues such as education regression.
In turn, Morton enquired about Guyana’s plan regarding its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and said she was interested in improving trade relations between the two countries.
The Guyanese President reminded the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State that Guyana has already demonstrated its commitment to fighting climate change. He listed several projects as examples, including the country’s pursuit of renewable energy by way of the Amaila Falls Hydro project.
