Green towns focus of Climate Change Office
DPI, GUYANA, Monday, June 18, 2018
With Guyana’s push towards a ‘green state’ the Office of Climate Change (OCC) is focusing efforts on several towns by improving their energy use among other initiatives.
Head of the OCC, Janelle Christian said the country’s National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) has also identified transport, wastewater management and renewable energy, as the priority areas for the ‘greening’ of towns.
Head of the Office of Climate Change, Janelle Christian.
Bartica has been chosen as a pilot town while plans are in place for training and capacity building of technical personnel in the others.
Six personnel from Bartica have already been identified for maintenance training, which involves, in part, the management of photovoltaic (PV) systems, which are being installed on all government buildings, through the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA).
Christian noted this will ensure that when these projects are implemented in the other towns, the personnel will be efficient in the management of these systems.
A consultancy firm has been working with Bartica for the past year and a half in identifying some of these initiatives and the OCC is awaiting a report, which is expected at the end of this month. Once the report is finalised, the OCC will mobilise resources for the implementation of the projects. These are being conducted under the United Nations Development Programme’s Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership.
By: Stacy Carmichael.
Editor’s Note: Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (JCCCP)- is designed to strengthen the capacity of countries in the Caribbean to invest in climate change mitigation and adaptation technologies, as prioritised in their Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).
National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs)- refers to a set of policies and actions that countries undertake as part of a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Photovoltaic (PV) System- is a power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity.