Globally, corruption is a corrosive influence that undermines public faith in institutions resulting in diminished citizen security, stunted economic growth, and a drain on public and private resources.
Before proceeding with today’s article, a brief comment is appropriate in relation to recent statements made by Floyd Haynes on a Kaieteur News radio programme on the audit of Exxon’s post-contract costs covering the period 2018-2020.
Last week, the Conference of Parties (COP 27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ended with a decision to create a “loss and damage” fund to assist poorer countries that are worst affected by global warming and climate change.
According to scientists and climate change experts, global carbon emissions in 2022 remain at record highs, with no sign of the falls needed to curb dangerous climate change.
Last Tuesday, the State of New Jersey filed a lawsuit against five oil and gas companies and a petroleum trade organization – ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, BP, ConocoPhillips and the American Petroleum Institute to which they are affiliated – alleging that they had known for decades about the harmful impact of fossil fuels on climate change but instead deceived the public about that link.
According to media reports, subsidiaries and/or affiliates of Chinese companies competing to build Guyana’s natural gas power plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara, have been blacklisted for fraudulent practices in relation to the award of contracts funded by World Bank.
Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali told the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly currently under way that fossil fuels are a necessary means of energy while the world transitions to more sustainable means; and the fossil fuel industry should not be penalized or treated unfairly as the world moves away from that sector.
The European Commission is proposing that fossil fuel firms that have made windfall profits from soaring energy prices to make a financial contribution to help citizens and industries grapple with high energy bills.
A recently released report found that within an area from Texas to Louisiana in the United States, residents could experience “heat index” temperatures above 125 degrees Fahrenheit by 2053.
It is immoral for oil and gas companies to be making record profits from this energy crisis on the backs of the poorest people and communities, at a massive cost to the climate.
Last week, the temperature in several parts of Europe reached an all-time record high of 42 degrees Celsius, triggering massive wildfires in France, Spain, Portugal and Greece and causing thousands of residents to flee their homes.