The Paris Agreement which calls on nations to make a pledge to reduce their emissions output so that global temperatures can be around 1.5 to 2 degrees celcius by 2050 is unlikely to be achieved. In fact, numerous international reports note that the world is poised to reach 3.5 degrees celcius, thereby increasing the catastrophic risks facing countries that are affected by the climate change phenomenon.
Taking the foregoing into account, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo recently noted that one of the reasons why the goal or objective of the Paris Agreement is not on track to being achieved is due to the fact that there is no penalty for noncompliance. Jagdeo stressed that this is a clear weakness of the agreement.
The Vice President said,”My argument when we were at the opening of the G77 Summit is that the pledges were not even enough to get or allow us to meet the target which is a maximum of a 2 degree rise.” Jagdeo said what the world is witnessing is a further deviation from achieving the targets.
The Vice President who is known for being “The Champion of the Earth” also highlighted that countries which are asked to switch to cleaner sources of energy such as solar and hydro, they do not have enough money do so. He said that this state of affairs means that more trouble is ahead for the world as he noted that increasing temperatures will have a direct effect on the agriculture sector and the overall lives of citizens.
The Vice President said it is clear that more efforts have to be directed towards getting more climate change financing so that nations can be able to implement all the measures needed to reduce their emissions output.
On Guyana’s part, Dr. Jagdeo said that efforts have been made to engage Norway on a programme that will provide payments for its role in protecting its forests.
