Guyana launches CARICOM‑backed bid to host 2030 Climate Summit
Guyana, under the leadership of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, is officially stepping up to lead the global climate conversation by bidding to host the 35th United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP35) in 2030 in Georgetown.
This ambitious task has received formal backing from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) following the conclusion of the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the CARICOM held in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis, from 24 – 27 February.
“Heads of Government agreed to support Guyana’s bid to host COP35 in 2030,” a communique released by the regional block on Sunday announced.
If successful, the Summit would bring thousands of global delegates to Guyanese shores, highlighting the country’s unique position as both a burgeoning oil and gas hub. It is an ardent defender of the environment.
With 86 per cent of its land covered by pristine forests, Guyana maintains one of the lowest deforestation rates worldwide.
The nation’s leadership in environmental conservation is anchored in the landmark Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), first launched in 2009 and later expanded to the LCDS 2030 in 2022, following a seven-month national consultation.
Under this strategy, Guyana is charting a path of sustainable development while developing its oil and gas industry.
Already, the nation has successfully monetised its forest carbon through voluntary and compliance markets, earning US$750 million from the sale of just 30 per cent of its forest carbon.
Additionally, the country has sold two million of its carbon credits under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), underscoring the economic value of sustainable stewardship.
Only recently, the government announced that the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) has issued another 9 million high-integrity REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard (TREES) carbon credits for the year 2023.
Guyana is also leading the conversation on biodiversity.
In July of 2024, President Ali convened the Global Biodiversity Alliance Summit in Georgetown, where the GBA was formally launched.
The meeting in Georgetown unveiled a comprehensive roadmap focused on five strategic pillars: achieving the global 30×30 target: protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030, mainstreaming biodiversity into national and corporate development planning, unlocking innovative finance, including biodiversity credits, green bonds, and debt-fornature swaps, empowering Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities through recognition, governance, and finance and building robust systems for monitoring, accountability, and data sovereignty, including the creation of the Gross Biodiversity Power Index.