Civil society group, A Fair Deal for Guyana – A Fair Deal for the Planet is demanding the halt of oil and gas operations until proper environmental safety measures are in place.
“WE DEMAND a pause on oil and gas operations until ExxonMobil guarantees that proper environmental safeguards are in place to protect our lands, oceans and climate,” states the group in an advertisement which appeared during last week’s energy conference and expo.
A Fair Deal for Guyana – A Fair Deal for the Planet is a group of Guyanese citizens concerned about the impact of the oil and gas industry on the environment. On their website, the group states that they are of the belief that the current oil deal is not good for Guyana – and by extension the planet. Prominent members of the group include Senior Counsel Seenauth Jairam and Environmental Lawyer Melinda Janki.
In their ad, the group notes that not only is oil exploration and production offshore threatening Guyana and the Caribbean, but that Guyanese are burdened with the financial costs and environmental danger while ExxonMobil and partners benefit from the “favourable” contracts.
In addition to demanding the halt in oil and gas operations on the basis of proper environmental safety measures, the groups wants Exxon to guarantee that they will pay for all environmental, social and economic damage across Guyana and the Caribbean should there be a well blowout or oil spill.
The group is also demanding that the government invest in solar energy jobs given its commitment under the Paris Agreement to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2025, and called for the publishing of a full, independent audit of pre contract costs and all other costs claimed by Exxon and its partners in Guyana.
Until those demands are met, the group believes that oil operations should be halted. However, they also demand that oil operations stop until Guyana’s fish population recover to their pre-oil levels and until Exxon can guarantee that their operations are not harming life.
