National walk to raise consumer rights, clean energy awareness hosted in Georgetown

Men and women, both young and old from across the country turned out early Saturday morning to participate in a fitness walk to commemorate World Consumer Rights Day 2023.

World Consumer Rights Day being held on March 15 under the theme “Empowering consumers through clean energy transitions”, aims to educate the public on consumer needs and rights, and draw attention to market malpractices.

The walk, hosted by the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce’s Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), saw participants assembling at the Bank of Guyana on Main Street, then moving along Main Street into High Street, onto Young Street, then along Carifesta Avenue to end at the Kitty Pump Station roundabout.

Director of Business at the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, John Edghill, who participated in the walk, told reporters that its aim was to garner a large turnout in order to raise awareness and involvement in the transition to clean energy.

“We know that globally, and in the UN, a lot of countries have signed on to cut their carbon emissions and transition into clean energy sources by 2050. So, this day, we have commissioned a walk to be able to bring out numbers. And today, we have had a really good turnout,” he said.

He made reference to the government’s gas-to-energy and Amaila Falls projects, noting that projects of that nature are important in the transition to clean energy.

“We are already a leading dimension in the world of clean energy, and Guyana is already net neutral in terms of carbon emissions. So, we are doing great work in this country, and we want to bring that awareness to it,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Energy Agency, Dr Mahender Sharma, told participants gathered at the walk’s endpoint that Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 plays an integral role in the shift towards cleaner energy.

He outlined the plans for the gas-to-energy project and the emissions it would reduce, and explained that while natural gas is still a fossil fuel, it is much cleaner, as it doesn’t contain sulphur and carbon like most fossil fuels do.

“So, by simply switching out from heavy fuel to natural gas, we are already achieving clean energy, but it doesn’t stop there. We are also advancing initiatives to develop hydropower on a massive scale to allow us to have greater levels of energy security so that we can utilise renewable energy in our mix. And it still doesn’t stop there,” he said.

A number of organisations also turned out in large groups to participate in the event. These included the Guyana Defense Force (GDF), Digicel Guyana, and others.