As Guyana assumes the chairmanship of the Group 77 and China bloc, the Nation’s Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, has issued a call for the pursuit of definitive action to ensure the implementation of the Paris Agreement. He made this call after receiving the gavel on behalf of Guyana, from the State of Palestine, during a ceremony in New York, USA, earlier this afternoon.
At the Conference of Parties (COP) 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015, parties to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reached a landmark agreement to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future. The Paris Agreement builds upon the convention and – for the first time – brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. (UNFCCC)
It was entered into force on November 4, 2016, and has been signed by 197 countries and ratified by 187 as of November 2019. In 2016, the US President, Donald Trump signalled his attention to pull out of the accord, which sent ripples throughout the globe. The superpower pulling out of such an important pact, was objected to by many activists, who argued that the US is the world’s second largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
Nevertheless, Nagamootoo reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to the agreement, as he referred to the State’s national development plan – the Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040.
He noted that Guyana’s commitment to sustainable development is of long-standing and remains “undiminished even in the face of our status as the newest oil-producing State.”
“As a high forest cover, low deforestation country and net carbon sink, Guyana – with 87% of its land area covered by forests, has acted to limit the deforestation of our pristine tropical Amazon forests to world-leading levels. Indeed, Guyana has been consistently identified as one of the prime eco-tourism destinations in the world,” he noted.
