Guyana’s Green Initiative praised

– oil-find resources must support green initiative – WWF Head Pavan Sukhdev

DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy is being fully supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the leading conservation organisation which works in one hundred countries to protect the future of nature and people.

WWF International Head, Pavan Sukhdev commended the government for its dedication to ensuring a sustainable low carbon environment, through the development of the Guyana Green State Development Strategy (GSDS).

However, Sukhdev also urged that resources from Guyana’s petroleum industry be specifically used to support green initiatives.

“… using the revenue which comes from the oil find off the coast of Guyana, is a way of enhancing the green state. Putting the investment in the right area, and that, of course, includes renewable energy,” Sukhdev said.

Speaking from Georgetown on Wednesday, where he wrapped up a three-day visit to the country, Sukhdev reiterated that oil resources must be used in a positive way. He added that areas such as agriculture and human capital need support and development.

“I would expect that the investment of the resources that Guyana inherits would be used in developing cities as centres of human development and human capital, building Georgetown further and developing it, then investing in agriculture in a way that provides higher incomes for those who are farming, as well as new business opportunities such as packaging, processing and exporting food into the region.”

He told the media, discussions with farmers in Berbice have set the tone for a new type of chemical-free farming, which can propel Guyana to the top spot of food producing nations in the region.

The WWF Head also urged that proper legislation is put in place to guide programmes for development of the country’s green initiatives.

Felecia Valenzuela

Images: Geovanni Gajie