VP Jagdeo urges Global South to advance climate goals despite US absence

– showcases LCDS success at WSDS 2026 in India

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday called on developing nations to continue strengthening their climate action efforts, even as the United States remains absent from key discussions.

Dr Jagdeo made the remarks while delivering the inaugural address at the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) at the Taj Palace in New Delhi, India.

He acknowledged that achieving climate targets will be more challenging without US participation, especially in areas such as carbon pricing, aviation, shipping, and methane regulation, but urged countries of the Global South not to lose momentum.

“I think the challenge before this gathering here and over the next couple of days is to find ways where we can move forward even without the participation of the United States of America at this point,” the vice president said.

Dr Jagdeo noted that despite persistent climate scepticism in some regions, biodiversity conservation continues to gather international traction.

He referenced the launch of the Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA) in Georgetown last year, under the leadership of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, which brings together several partner countries and institutions, including The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

“We believe that we can encourage many countries and organisations to get on board because we have a biodiversity crisis too, along with a climate crisis.…all these things can be done at the national level,” Dr Jagdeo underlined.

As an example of effective national action, Dr Jagdeo highlighted Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, which builds on over a decade of leadership in forest conservation.

With 86 per cent of its land covered by pristine forests, Guyana maintains one of the lowest deforestation rates worldwide and has successfully monetised its forest carbon through voluntary and compliance markets.

Guyana, he said, has earned US$750 million from the sale of 30 per cent of its forest carbon, demonstrating the economic value of sustainable stewardship, and has also sold two million credits under the international aviation carbon offsetting scheme, CORSIA.

“If you were to extrapolate, that would be about 2.5 to 3 billion dollars for our entire forest. That’s more money that is available to the 99 per cent of the remaining tropical forests at this point,” VP Jagdeo disclosed.

The vice president also addressed Guyana’s expanding oil production, noting that the country expects to produce between 1.5 and 2 million barrels of oil per day within the next three years, arguing that Guyana is proving to the world that a country can expand oil production while embarking on sustainable development.

The World Sustainable Development Summit, hosted annually by TERI, is one of the world’s leading platforms for climate and green development dialogue. This year’s opening session also featured India’s Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, alongside other global leaders, policymakers, and scientists.

In 2025, Dr Jagdeo was among 18 world figures recognised with the Sustainable Development Leadership Award, honouring his ongoing work in climate advocacy and sustainable development.