Guyana Chronicle top story, Saturday 08 November 2009 - "Guyana seeks joint REDD position with Brazil" - http://www.guyanachronicle.com/topstory.html#Anchor-Guyan-13009
“My thunder is not about legacy; my thunder is about a better life for the people of this country…I am not competing with Brazil for global recognition. I want as much money that we can gather from this wonderful opportunity to come to this country now and in the future. So even if I am not there, it doesn’t matter when the money flows. That’s what I am doing.” – President Bharrat Jagdeo
GUYANA is seeking a joint position with Brazil on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) in a new global climate change deal and will be advancing this at a meeting of Amazon leaders in Brazil later this month.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has convened a meeting of Heads of State of Amazon countries in Manaus on November 26 and President Bharrat Jagdeo, Thursday, said he will be further discussing a joint Guyana-Brazil position on REDD there.
Mr. Jagdeo said that at the formal opening of the Takutu Bridge on the Guyana-Brazil border in September, he told President Lula that Brazil needs to play a greater leadership role and he urged him to do so in this matter.
The President said he later sent Lula a statement on REDD issues that the two countries could jointly adopt.
He reported that Brazil feels the Guyana statement is good and proposed that it should be discussed at the November 26 meeting with all the Amazon leaders.
Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which has placed this country in a climate change leadership role, is based largely on preserving its forests and receiving payments for its forest services.
The LCDS is receiving support from the World Bank and Guyana and Norway will next week sign a memorandum of understanding that will see Norwegian assistance and funding for the initiative.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has included REDD as part of the emerging overall climate change framework.
Guyana’s LCDS notes that importantly, REDD recognises the importance of protecting standing forests in countries with low rates of deforestation and as such, there is agreement in principle to generate international payments for forest protection.
President Jagdeo, at a press conference Thursday, said he was not bothered about Brazil stealing Guyana’s thunder on climate change and stressed the key role that country has in negotiations for a meaningful global deal.
“I am not into about Brazil stealing our thunder. I want Brazil to get involved. If Brazil gets involved, this works at a bigger scale. The concept moves forward. You need Brazil and Indonesia to move this concept along and I must commend President Lula”, he said.
He noted that Lula has pledged to cut deforestation rates by 80 per cent by 2020, adding, “He has to actually cut deforestation rates. He is in a different situation. He is a great leader. I don’t see anything about thunder etc. here.”
Mr. Jagdeo reiterated: “My thunder is not about legacy; my thunder is about a better life for the people of this country…I am not competing with Brazil for global recognition. I want as much money that we can gather from this wonderful opportunity to come to this country now and in the future. So even if I am not there, it doesn’t matter when the money flows. That’s what I am doing.”
He also announced that Guyana recently signed an agreement in Washington with the World Bank on bank support through its Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) for the LCDS.
The President noted that Guyana is the first country in the world to have been approved for this facility and it is the only one that has completed the due diligence for participating in the FCPF.
He said the agreement will see resources coming in that will allow Guyana to do greater advocacy, and information-sharing about REDD and the LCDS.
The National Toshaos Council will also benefit from this facility and some of the funds will be used to prepare Guyana for any proposal that will see trading in forest carbon in the future that may arise out of the UNFCCC meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark next month.
Mr. Jagdeo said Guyana will get an initial US$200,000 and then US$3.4M under the FCPF mainly to fund a REDD Preparedness Plan.
Norway’s Minister of Environment and International Development, Erik Solheim, is due here this weekend to sign a memorandum of understanding that can serve as a model to the rest of the world, he said.
The President said Guyana will be the first country in the world that would have signed an agreement of this nature with a developed country (Norway) for payments for forest carbon based on some identifiable criteria.
He pointed out that there are differing views about expectations from the Copenhagen meeting and that even the UN itself is trying to downplay expectations on the outcome.
He said there is yet no agreement on the level of financing needed for mitigation, technology transfer and adaptation and there is also a lot of vulnerability on other areas.
“On the other hand, adaptation has moved fairly well (and) forests have moved fairly well in the negotiations”, he said.
“There are some issues that are moving faster than others but then you would have to have a comprehensive agreement. So some people are saying it might be just a political declaration; others are saying we need to have a binding agreement (including the UK) which says it’s not signing on to anything that’s too weak”, he said.
Mr. Jagdeo noted that it is also possible that at least the principles can be agreed to in Copenhagen in some form of binding fashion and negotiators can use next year and maybe part of 2011 “to elaborate on those principles to work out mechanisms, institutions, etc. so that by the end of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012 you would have had a smooth transition to a new agreement.”
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Suriname follows Guyana's climate change lead
Guyana Chronicle top story, Thursday 05 November 2009 - "Suriname follows Guyana's climate change lead" - http://www.guyanachronicle.com/news.html
SURINAME yesterday announced an ambitious climate change plan patterned generally after Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) model with avoided deforestation and forest preservation as its centrepiece.
The Suriname model was drawn up with support of the Washington-based Conservation International and it aims to protect the country’s forest in perpetuity, and in doing so improve the lives of its people while contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.
Under Suriname’s “Green Vision” plan, the country plans to pursue environmentally sustainable economic development using anticipated revenue from payments for the carbon stored in its vast forest estate.
http://www.guyanachronicle.com/sharief-jpg.jpg
GUYANA LEAD: the front cover of Guyana's LCDS.
The plan was unveiled by Suriname yesterday at a side session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Barcelona, in collaboration with the French Development Agency (AFD).
Suriname hopes that payments – which would help keep its forest intact while fueling green development and ensuring the well-being of the country’s 500,000 people – would come from sources including REDD (Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), the framework proposed for inclusion in any new global agreement that emerges from the Copenhagen climate meeting in December.
This initiative by Suriname is another effort by another country in the Guiana Shield towards developing a low carbon growth path.
Like Guyana, Suriname is also a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and it has been supporting Guyana’s lead in the negotiations for deforestation and forest preservation to be included in the UNFCCC.
Suriname said its plan will build on the existing National Development Plan as well as the government’s rapid response to the evolving REDD Framework for trade in carbon credits.
Additionally, it noted, regional forest management initiatives for carbon sequestration are gathering momentum across the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Northern Brazil), providing a favourable context for an ambitious effort by Suriname.
The Suriname Government said the initial articulation of Suriname Green will be a Green Development Plan, assembled by the Government of Suriname with a broad array of partners and stakeholders.
The Green Development Plan will highlight environmental sustainability as a guiding principle for policymaking and investment, inform the implementation of the current National Development Plan (2006-2011) and provide a valuable tool for preparing the new (2012-2017) 5-year development plan.
The Green Development Plan will create an organising framework for policy reform, government capacity investment, and economic plans on a sector-by-sector basis that will aim to achieve environmental sustainability and create a low-carbon, nature-based economy.
According to the government, it also will consistently link policy and planning to a national green branding strategy, setting out specific steps for greening investment and policy.
In the meantime, the government said that with partners, it will launch pilot carbon-market and low-carbon economy demonstration projects that show the potential of green development options.
It said many elements of the Green Development Plan can be anticipated including:
** Mining: Continue work on best practices, rigorous environmental impact assessment provisions, requirements for impact mitigation, offsets for unavoidable impacts, green mine-closure planning, and requirements to support the transition from mining to a post-mining economy.
** Energy: Highlight low-carbon energy planning and promote ongoing work in Suriname relating to solar, hydro and algal bio-fuel power generation options.
** Land-use planning: Emphasise carbon credits for forest conservation and promote sustainable agricultural development on previously disturbed lands.
** Eco-tourism: Consolidate and strengthen ongoing efforts related to the promotion and development of eco-tourism as a sustainable sector to generate economic growth and jobs and especially as a means of generating benefits for the communities of Suriname’s interior.
SURINAME yesterday announced an ambitious climate change plan patterned generally after Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) model with avoided deforestation and forest preservation as its centrepiece.
The Suriname model was drawn up with support of the Washington-based Conservation International and it aims to protect the country’s forest in perpetuity, and in doing so improve the lives of its people while contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.
Under Suriname’s “Green Vision” plan, the country plans to pursue environmentally sustainable economic development using anticipated revenue from payments for the carbon stored in its vast forest estate.
http://www.guyanachronicle.com/sharief-jpg.jpg
GUYANA LEAD: the front cover of Guyana's LCDS.
The plan was unveiled by Suriname yesterday at a side session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Barcelona, in collaboration with the French Development Agency (AFD).
Suriname hopes that payments – which would help keep its forest intact while fueling green development and ensuring the well-being of the country’s 500,000 people – would come from sources including REDD (Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), the framework proposed for inclusion in any new global agreement that emerges from the Copenhagen climate meeting in December.
This initiative by Suriname is another effort by another country in the Guiana Shield towards developing a low carbon growth path.
Like Guyana, Suriname is also a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and it has been supporting Guyana’s lead in the negotiations for deforestation and forest preservation to be included in the UNFCCC.
Suriname said its plan will build on the existing National Development Plan as well as the government’s rapid response to the evolving REDD Framework for trade in carbon credits.
Additionally, it noted, regional forest management initiatives for carbon sequestration are gathering momentum across the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Northern Brazil), providing a favourable context for an ambitious effort by Suriname.
The Suriname Government said the initial articulation of Suriname Green will be a Green Development Plan, assembled by the Government of Suriname with a broad array of partners and stakeholders.
The Green Development Plan will highlight environmental sustainability as a guiding principle for policymaking and investment, inform the implementation of the current National Development Plan (2006-2011) and provide a valuable tool for preparing the new (2012-2017) 5-year development plan.
The Green Development Plan will create an organising framework for policy reform, government capacity investment, and economic plans on a sector-by-sector basis that will aim to achieve environmental sustainability and create a low-carbon, nature-based economy.
According to the government, it also will consistently link policy and planning to a national green branding strategy, setting out specific steps for greening investment and policy.
In the meantime, the government said that with partners, it will launch pilot carbon-market and low-carbon economy demonstration projects that show the potential of green development options.
It said many elements of the Green Development Plan can be anticipated including:
** Mining: Continue work on best practices, rigorous environmental impact assessment provisions, requirements for impact mitigation, offsets for unavoidable impacts, green mine-closure planning, and requirements to support the transition from mining to a post-mining economy.
** Energy: Highlight low-carbon energy planning and promote ongoing work in Suriname relating to solar, hydro and algal bio-fuel power generation options.
** Land-use planning: Emphasise carbon credits for forest conservation and promote sustainable agricultural development on previously disturbed lands.
** Eco-tourism: Consolidate and strengthen ongoing efforts related to the promotion and development of eco-tourism as a sustainable sector to generate economic growth and jobs and especially as a means of generating benefits for the communities of Suriname’s interior.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
$60M mining dredge sinks in Atlantic off Waini
Guyana Chronicle. 3 November 2009.
$60M mining dredge sinks in Atlantic off Waini
By Rajendra Prabhulall
A BRAZILIAN owned $60M mining dredge has sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off the Waini Coast in the dangerous ‘Iron Punt’ area.
Reports said five Brazilians and a Guyanese, known only as Danny, were on board when the vessel sank.
The owners were towing it with a trawler when they encountered rough waters about 02:00 h last Thursday morning.
It is reported that the Brazilians were operating in Barama River, North West District, but decided to move because Amerindians living along the banks were complaining about pollution of the water.
The dredge had already been towed some 200 miles along Barama River, into Waini River and was in the Atlantic Ocean when huge waves lashed the pontoons which housed the dredging mechanisms and flooded the manholes.
The Brazilians quickly summoned the trawler crew to their rescue as their $60M investment disappeared from the water surface.
They grabbed as much of their personal belongings as possible before the craft went under, taking three big pit bull dogs, of the four that were tied on it.
A subsequent search at the marked point of disappearance failed to locate the sunken pontoons.
$60M mining dredge sinks in Atlantic off Waini
By Rajendra Prabhulall
A BRAZILIAN owned $60M mining dredge has sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off the Waini Coast in the dangerous ‘Iron Punt’ area.
Reports said five Brazilians and a Guyanese, known only as Danny, were on board when the vessel sank.
The owners were towing it with a trawler when they encountered rough waters about 02:00 h last Thursday morning.
It is reported that the Brazilians were operating in Barama River, North West District, but decided to move because Amerindians living along the banks were complaining about pollution of the water.
The dredge had already been towed some 200 miles along Barama River, into Waini River and was in the Atlantic Ocean when huge waves lashed the pontoons which housed the dredging mechanisms and flooded the manholes.
The Brazilians quickly summoned the trawler crew to their rescue as their $60M investment disappeared from the water surface.
They grabbed as much of their personal belongings as possible before the craft went under, taking three big pit bull dogs, of the four that were tied on it.
A subsequent search at the marked point of disappearance failed to locate the sunken pontoons.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sawmill established at Linden will cut costs, create jobs - proprietors
Stabroek News news item, Monday 02 November 2009 - "Sawmill established at Linden will cut costs, create jobs - proprietors" - http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/stories/11/02/sawmill-established-at-linden-will-cut-costs-create-jobs-%e2%80%93-propr
In a community where the unemployment rate is over 50% the proprietors of the $15M Seven Sisters/Torrington Sawmill agree that establishing their business at Linden would allow them to cut costs and create jobs.
Cousins Sean and Michael Torrington opened their sawmill on September 23 at Lot 30, Industrial Site, Blue Berry Hill, after years of planning to diversify into forest products. Michael said Linden is a prime business location because of the ease of securing sufficient timber which they intend to source from the Region Ten Forest Producers Association. The company has five employees and plans are in train to hire another 12-15 workers. It is also seeking export markets in the Caribbean with persons from St Lucia and Barbados already indicating an interest.
“Our end goal [is the] overseas market,” Michael said. He said persons have already asked about the components for pre-fabricated houses, green heart and other species of hard wood. It was noted as well that Seven Sisters plans to use lesser-known hard woods which are harder, more reliable and durable than some of the more known hard-wood varieties. The company produces V-Joints, lap edges, groove and tongue, planks and moulding and is now seeking a sawdust market.
In terms of its domestic market opportunities, the newly opened operation is already making a name for itself in Linden lumber yards as a supplier. Michael said they are not worried about competition from sawmills in the community, as Seven Sisters plans to produce high quality products. Later, the company will open a city outlet to cater for customers in the capital.
Sean, a mechanical engineer by profession and Michael who owns a transportation business decided five years ago to start the sawmill. They started to buy the equipment in 2004. Michael said he had decided that he did not want to drive every day for the rest of his life and Sean, who had spent many years at sea agreed that he would rather start his own business.
The duo secured a loan from the Linden Economic Advancement Fund two years ago, which they have since refinanced. Both the loan and the refinanced amount totalled more than $6M. (Nicosia Smith)
In a community where the unemployment rate is over 50% the proprietors of the $15M Seven Sisters/Torrington Sawmill agree that establishing their business at Linden would allow them to cut costs and create jobs.
Cousins Sean and Michael Torrington opened their sawmill on September 23 at Lot 30, Industrial Site, Blue Berry Hill, after years of planning to diversify into forest products. Michael said Linden is a prime business location because of the ease of securing sufficient timber which they intend to source from the Region Ten Forest Producers Association. The company has five employees and plans are in train to hire another 12-15 workers. It is also seeking export markets in the Caribbean with persons from St Lucia and Barbados already indicating an interest.
“Our end goal [is the] overseas market,” Michael said. He said persons have already asked about the components for pre-fabricated houses, green heart and other species of hard wood. It was noted as well that Seven Sisters plans to use lesser-known hard woods which are harder, more reliable and durable than some of the more known hard-wood varieties. The company produces V-Joints, lap edges, groove and tongue, planks and moulding and is now seeking a sawdust market.
In terms of its domestic market opportunities, the newly opened operation is already making a name for itself in Linden lumber yards as a supplier. Michael said they are not worried about competition from sawmills in the community, as Seven Sisters plans to produce high quality products. Later, the company will open a city outlet to cater for customers in the capital.
Sean, a mechanical engineer by profession and Michael who owns a transportation business decided five years ago to start the sawmill. They started to buy the equipment in 2004. Michael said he had decided that he did not want to drive every day for the rest of his life and Sean, who had spent many years at sea agreed that he would rather start his own business.
The duo secured a loan from the Linden Economic Advancement Fund two years ago, which they have since refinanced. Both the loan and the refinanced amount totalled more than $6M. (Nicosia Smith)
LCDS Financing
Kaieteur News Editorial, Monday 02 November 2009 - "LCDS Financing" - http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2009/11/02/lcds-financing/
As we draw closer to the December Copenhagen meeting on Climate Change that will attempt to craft a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, we are receiving increasingly optimistic information that the premises of the LCDS on funding are fundamentally sound.
Brazil, which is home to the largest remaining standing tropical forest, inevitably has a great influence on pronouncing on the viability of schemes that purport to reduce emissions through “avoided deforestation”. It had persistently criticised the “cap and trade” approach that included “forests offsets”; claiming that the developed world were being given a pass, not only to avoid their historical role in destroying the atmosphere, but to continue their high rate of pollution by bribing poorer countries to do their job for them. The moral question such an approach posed, asserted Brazil, was as if a fat man paid a thinner one to diet for him.
The retort, of course, was that the analogy was not entirely accurate. The atmosphere is not like a fat person, who is discrete. The atmosphere is continuous and “fasting” by one country (sequestering carbon by leaving its forests standing) can “offset” eating (pollution) by another.
Brazil has evidently become (partially) convinced by the argument for last week its Environment Minister, Carlos Minc, announced, “In previous meetings Brazil didn’t defend REDD — that position has evolved. But under Brazil’s proposal, REDD should not make up more than 10 per cent of a rich country’s total reduction commitment. Rich countries still have to do their homework.”
While 10 per cent may appear small, because of the enormity of the projected market for carbon offsets, in dollar terms it will amount to hundreds of billions. The approach that the US adopts will be crucial on REDD financing because of the obvious influence they have.
The good news for LCDS is that in both the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) passed by Congress and in the one stalled in the Senate, there is five per cent of carbon credit allocations to fund tropical forest conservation. In 2020 alone, at an estimated carbon price of US$17 a ton, those allocations would be worth almost US$5 billion.
In the US, excepting for sceptics like Greenpeace, support for offsets is widespread but according to one report there are still some lingering concerns on “leakage”, “additionality”, “permanence” and “measurement”. “Leakage refers to displacement of deforestation from one area to another. The drivers of deforestation, such as the demand for timber, or for land to grow soy beans or palm oil or to graze cattle are highly mobile in a global economy.
If deforestation is restricted in one location due to an offset project, it may be difficult to prove part or all of the avoided deforestation (and associated greenhouse gas emissions) did not simply happen elsewhere.
“Additionality” is another issue that is difficult to prove with REDD offsets. It is very difficult to prove that a piece of protected forest absolutely would have been deforested without the offset project. With volatile, dynamic drivers of deforestation, changing politics and economies in developing nations and a host of other factors, assessing additionality often requires shaky predictions and guesswork.
Permanence is also another real challenge for forest credits. Guaranteeing that a given forest, and its estimated carbon value, will stay the same a long period of time (100 years or more) is difficult to do. Tropical forests are dynamic, living ecosystems that are easily affected by changes in politics, human activity, insects, disease, fires and global warming itself.
Finally, simply estimating and crediting carbon values from avoided deforestation is hugely problematic. When trading an avoided deforestation offset for industrial emissions like those from a coal plant, we are comparing apples with oranges. Our ability to come up with a value for avoided deforestation initiatives has improved with advances in technology, but there are still large margins of error when compared with measurement of industrial emissions.”
The administration has already received assistance from the UN to assist in addressing the four concerns and whether the new treaty is consummated in December on in the following year as is being now seen as more realistic the LCDS funding appears quite secure.
As we draw closer to the December Copenhagen meeting on Climate Change that will attempt to craft a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, we are receiving increasingly optimistic information that the premises of the LCDS on funding are fundamentally sound.
Brazil, which is home to the largest remaining standing tropical forest, inevitably has a great influence on pronouncing on the viability of schemes that purport to reduce emissions through “avoided deforestation”. It had persistently criticised the “cap and trade” approach that included “forests offsets”; claiming that the developed world were being given a pass, not only to avoid their historical role in destroying the atmosphere, but to continue their high rate of pollution by bribing poorer countries to do their job for them. The moral question such an approach posed, asserted Brazil, was as if a fat man paid a thinner one to diet for him.
The retort, of course, was that the analogy was not entirely accurate. The atmosphere is not like a fat person, who is discrete. The atmosphere is continuous and “fasting” by one country (sequestering carbon by leaving its forests standing) can “offset” eating (pollution) by another.
Brazil has evidently become (partially) convinced by the argument for last week its Environment Minister, Carlos Minc, announced, “In previous meetings Brazil didn’t defend REDD — that position has evolved. But under Brazil’s proposal, REDD should not make up more than 10 per cent of a rich country’s total reduction commitment. Rich countries still have to do their homework.”
While 10 per cent may appear small, because of the enormity of the projected market for carbon offsets, in dollar terms it will amount to hundreds of billions. The approach that the US adopts will be crucial on REDD financing because of the obvious influence they have.
The good news for LCDS is that in both the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) passed by Congress and in the one stalled in the Senate, there is five per cent of carbon credit allocations to fund tropical forest conservation. In 2020 alone, at an estimated carbon price of US$17 a ton, those allocations would be worth almost US$5 billion.
In the US, excepting for sceptics like Greenpeace, support for offsets is widespread but according to one report there are still some lingering concerns on “leakage”, “additionality”, “permanence” and “measurement”. “Leakage refers to displacement of deforestation from one area to another. The drivers of deforestation, such as the demand for timber, or for land to grow soy beans or palm oil or to graze cattle are highly mobile in a global economy.
If deforestation is restricted in one location due to an offset project, it may be difficult to prove part or all of the avoided deforestation (and associated greenhouse gas emissions) did not simply happen elsewhere.
“Additionality” is another issue that is difficult to prove with REDD offsets. It is very difficult to prove that a piece of protected forest absolutely would have been deforested without the offset project. With volatile, dynamic drivers of deforestation, changing politics and economies in developing nations and a host of other factors, assessing additionality often requires shaky predictions and guesswork.
Permanence is also another real challenge for forest credits. Guaranteeing that a given forest, and its estimated carbon value, will stay the same a long period of time (100 years or more) is difficult to do. Tropical forests are dynamic, living ecosystems that are easily affected by changes in politics, human activity, insects, disease, fires and global warming itself.
Finally, simply estimating and crediting carbon values from avoided deforestation is hugely problematic. When trading an avoided deforestation offset for industrial emissions like those from a coal plant, we are comparing apples with oranges. Our ability to come up with a value for avoided deforestation initiatives has improved with advances in technology, but there are still large margins of error when compared with measurement of industrial emissions.”
The administration has already received assistance from the UN to assist in addressing the four concerns and whether the new treaty is consummated in December on in the following year as is being now seen as more realistic the LCDS funding appears quite secure.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Solidly supporting the President's LCDS initiative
Guyana Chronicle Letter to the Editor, Monday 02 November 2009 - "Solidly supporting the President's LCDS initiative" - http://www.guyanachronicle.com/letters.html
Dear Editor,
I see so many letters in the press on LCDS, some supportive and some condemnatory of the President’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
Personally, I believe that the initiative is based on sound values and judgment. Therefore, I solidly support the Presidents overtures. As a result he has to travel, but let us not forget that he does have competent Administrators and Ministers to run the affairs of the Government and people. The travels in my opinion are necessary as he highlights to the world that we are capable of making significant contributions to Reduced Emissions Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), through the Low Carbon Development Strategy which at the same time could be profitable to Guyana and its people.
If after he does his best, nothing is forthcoming, then Guyana has all rights to pursue it economic development based on industrialisation. Let us note that industrial development has not been put on hold.
In addition he is putting Guyana on the map, meeting national leaders, leaders in academia, furthering his arguments at the highest levels on the international scene. I believe that it will bear fruit.
As a result of his work in this arena, I see him in time being appointed to a major world body, specifically to do with LCDS matters and climate change.
The trips therefore are investments for future development. And I am no spin doctor for any politicians. I always speak from my heart.
Roshan Khan
Dear Editor,
I see so many letters in the press on LCDS, some supportive and some condemnatory of the President’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
Personally, I believe that the initiative is based on sound values and judgment. Therefore, I solidly support the Presidents overtures. As a result he has to travel, but let us not forget that he does have competent Administrators and Ministers to run the affairs of the Government and people. The travels in my opinion are necessary as he highlights to the world that we are capable of making significant contributions to Reduced Emissions Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), through the Low Carbon Development Strategy which at the same time could be profitable to Guyana and its people.
If after he does his best, nothing is forthcoming, then Guyana has all rights to pursue it economic development based on industrialisation. Let us note that industrial development has not been put on hold.
In addition he is putting Guyana on the map, meeting national leaders, leaders in academia, furthering his arguments at the highest levels on the international scene. I believe that it will bear fruit.
As a result of his work in this arena, I see him in time being appointed to a major world body, specifically to do with LCDS matters and climate change.
The trips therefore are investments for future development. And I am no spin doctor for any politicians. I always speak from my heart.
Roshan Khan
Rainforests
Guyana Chronicle news item, Sunday 01 November 2009 - "Rainforests" - http://www.guyanachronicle.com/news.html#Anchor--------------------11090
THE INDESCRIBABLE beauty, majesty, and timelessness of our rainforests represent the product of millions of years of evolution. This process has also turned rainforests into the incredibly complex environments they are today. Renewable natural resources abound in rainforests, and have, for eons, contributed to the survival and well-being of humankind. Our dependence on the rainforest can be direct or indirect.
Let us look at some of the benefits that the rainforest provide for us:
Biodiversity
Tropical rainforests cover only 12% of the land area of the earth, yet they are home to between 50% and 90% of the world's species. Because of tropical deforestation, it has been estimated that at least one species is disappearing every day. This rate of extinction is also estimated to be now 400 times faster than at any other period in history.
Medicine
Rainforests are a vital source of medicine. Today, less than 1% per cent of the world’s tropical forest plants have been tested for pharmaceutical properties, yet a quarter of all modern medicines came originally from rainforests – most of which were first discovered and used by indigenous peoples.
Food Diversity
Rainforests also offer a bounty of foods. Foods that we use today which originated in rainforests include coffee, cocoa, many fruits and nuts, spices, rice, and other products such as rubber, gum, resins, dyes, tannins and sugar cane. Of an estimated 75,000 edible plants found in nature, only 150 enter world commerce, and only 20 (mostly domesticated cereals) stand between human society and starvation. This makes modern agriculture extremely vulnerable to pests, diseases and changes in climate. Genes from wild plants can be used to fortify modern varieties against this vulnerability. Without rainforests, this opportunity is lost, as is the chance to develop entirely new food plants.
Climate regulation
Tropical forests regulate global and regional climate-systems by acting as heat and water pumps. They release moisture into the atmosphere which returns to the ground as rain. When the forest is cleared, the water cycle is disrupted, temperatures increase, droughts become common, and eventually deserts may form. Estimates suggest that tropical deforestation currently contributes at least 19% of greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical forests have been described as "the lungs of the Earth". However in mature primary forest, storage and release of carbon is in balance. Carbon-dioxide consumed during photosynthesis is equalled by that released when organic matter decays. A standing forest acts as a store or sink of carbon. On the other hand, when forests are burned or logged and the debris left to decay, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
Air and water quality
The oxygen in the air is provided by plants during photosynthesis. Rainforests help to improve the quality of the air by controlling the movement of dust and pollutants. They also improve the quality of the water we use. The diverse plant cover aids in maintaining healthy watersheds by holding soil in place, controlling stream flows and filtering sediments from the water.
Prevention of flooding, soil loss and siltation
Tropical rainforest soils are very old and have become poor as a result of high rainfall leaching away their mineral nutrients for millions of years. They have evolved to cope with this by rapidly recycling nutrients such as forest litter, and the droppings and remains of animals. Most nutrients are only available from this thin decomposing layer, so many rainforest trees are shallow-rooted and have buttresses for support.
Rainforests act like giant sponges, soaking up moisture, and then releasing it slowly. This moderates the flow of rivers thus preventing flooding and ensures that rivers and creeks continue to flow during periods of lower rainfall.
When the forest is cleared, rain falls directly onto the compacted soil, often resulting in serious soil-erosion, siltation and flooding. Major floods in southern Thailand, Bangladesh and the Philippines have been attributed to forest clearance.
Once the nutrient recycling-system is broken down, the land cannot support human activities such as cattle ranching for more than a few short years.
Scientists now say that the rainforest ecosystem in the Brazilian Amazon is a net absorber of carbon dioxide, and therefore helps to protect the earth against the greenhouse effect. This means that primary forests may be more important as carbon sinks than either young secondary forests or plantations.
We can help to address the impact of global warming by supporting initiatives aimed at utilizing our rainforest in a balanced way so that the next generation will also be able to experience its magnificence and bounties.
Source:
http://www.enviro-explorers.com/wildflowers/importance_of_plants_and_plant_c.htm
http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/good_wood/the_imp.html
You can also share your ideas and questions by sending your letters to: “Our Environment”, C/o EIT Division. Environmental Protection Agency, 7 Broad and Charles Streets, Charlestown, GEORGETOWN. Or email us at eit.epaguyana@gmail.com with questions and comments.
THE INDESCRIBABLE beauty, majesty, and timelessness of our rainforests represent the product of millions of years of evolution. This process has also turned rainforests into the incredibly complex environments they are today. Renewable natural resources abound in rainforests, and have, for eons, contributed to the survival and well-being of humankind. Our dependence on the rainforest can be direct or indirect.
Let us look at some of the benefits that the rainforest provide for us:
Biodiversity
Tropical rainforests cover only 12% of the land area of the earth, yet they are home to between 50% and 90% of the world's species. Because of tropical deforestation, it has been estimated that at least one species is disappearing every day. This rate of extinction is also estimated to be now 400 times faster than at any other period in history.
Medicine
Rainforests are a vital source of medicine. Today, less than 1% per cent of the world’s tropical forest plants have been tested for pharmaceutical properties, yet a quarter of all modern medicines came originally from rainforests – most of which were first discovered and used by indigenous peoples.
Food Diversity
Rainforests also offer a bounty of foods. Foods that we use today which originated in rainforests include coffee, cocoa, many fruits and nuts, spices, rice, and other products such as rubber, gum, resins, dyes, tannins and sugar cane. Of an estimated 75,000 edible plants found in nature, only 150 enter world commerce, and only 20 (mostly domesticated cereals) stand between human society and starvation. This makes modern agriculture extremely vulnerable to pests, diseases and changes in climate. Genes from wild plants can be used to fortify modern varieties against this vulnerability. Without rainforests, this opportunity is lost, as is the chance to develop entirely new food plants.
Climate regulation
Tropical forests regulate global and regional climate-systems by acting as heat and water pumps. They release moisture into the atmosphere which returns to the ground as rain. When the forest is cleared, the water cycle is disrupted, temperatures increase, droughts become common, and eventually deserts may form. Estimates suggest that tropical deforestation currently contributes at least 19% of greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical forests have been described as "the lungs of the Earth". However in mature primary forest, storage and release of carbon is in balance. Carbon-dioxide consumed during photosynthesis is equalled by that released when organic matter decays. A standing forest acts as a store or sink of carbon. On the other hand, when forests are burned or logged and the debris left to decay, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
Air and water quality
The oxygen in the air is provided by plants during photosynthesis. Rainforests help to improve the quality of the air by controlling the movement of dust and pollutants. They also improve the quality of the water we use. The diverse plant cover aids in maintaining healthy watersheds by holding soil in place, controlling stream flows and filtering sediments from the water.
Prevention of flooding, soil loss and siltation
Tropical rainforest soils are very old and have become poor as a result of high rainfall leaching away their mineral nutrients for millions of years. They have evolved to cope with this by rapidly recycling nutrients such as forest litter, and the droppings and remains of animals. Most nutrients are only available from this thin decomposing layer, so many rainforest trees are shallow-rooted and have buttresses for support.
Rainforests act like giant sponges, soaking up moisture, and then releasing it slowly. This moderates the flow of rivers thus preventing flooding and ensures that rivers and creeks continue to flow during periods of lower rainfall.
When the forest is cleared, rain falls directly onto the compacted soil, often resulting in serious soil-erosion, siltation and flooding. Major floods in southern Thailand, Bangladesh and the Philippines have been attributed to forest clearance.
Once the nutrient recycling-system is broken down, the land cannot support human activities such as cattle ranching for more than a few short years.
Scientists now say that the rainforest ecosystem in the Brazilian Amazon is a net absorber of carbon dioxide, and therefore helps to protect the earth against the greenhouse effect. This means that primary forests may be more important as carbon sinks than either young secondary forests or plantations.
We can help to address the impact of global warming by supporting initiatives aimed at utilizing our rainforest in a balanced way so that the next generation will also be able to experience its magnificence and bounties.
Source:
http://www.enviro-explorers.com/wildflowers/importance_of_plants_and_plant_c.htm
http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/good_wood/the_imp.html
You can also share your ideas and questions by sending your letters to: “Our Environment”, C/o EIT Division. Environmental Protection Agency, 7 Broad and Charles Streets, Charlestown, GEORGETOWN. Or email us at eit.epaguyana@gmail.com with questions and comments.
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