The establishment of viable, low carbon onshore economies is an important part of the conversation in the Caribbean about sustainable energy and climate change.

Guyana President Dr Mohammed Irfaan Ali made this observation when he addressed the opening of the virtual Caribbean Sustainable Energy Conference 2022 on Monday.

Ali told participants the intertwined issues of climate change were not academic ones. These issues, he continued, are scientific, practical and affect people's livelihoods, and strategies to deal with them must be implementable. "As leaders, we have to think about these things too."

While small developing states and small island developing states (SIDS) are not major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, Ali said these countries bear the brunt of the adverse effects of climate change. These include rising sea levels, floods, droughts and extreme weather events.

Ali said these events exact huge tolls on the economies of these nations and their financial resources to meet climate change commitments. Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago are not immune from the effects of climate change. Ali recalled reading local commentaries that TT is experiencing climate change events such as erosion of beaches, drier soils and damage to fish landing sites. Despite 80 per cent of its lands being covered by forests, Ali said Guyana is not allowing this to lull it into complacency were climate change is concerned.

[caption id="attachment_936573" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The Mt Plaisir Estate Hotel at Grande Riviere has been losing ground on its beach front due to coastal erosion. - PHOTO BY ROGER JACOB[/caption]

How the world handles unexpected challenges like the covid19 pandemic, influences how it deals with known challenges like climate change.

Ali said the readiness of the world to deal with the pandemic has important lessons about its readiness to deal with climate change. The pandemic continues to be a test of global resolve "in the face of deaths and economic destruction."

"Here's an example of the results so far: 62.1 per cent of the global population is now vaccinated with at least one dose."

But, Ali went on, "Guess what? Only 9.5 per cent of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. The question is why?"

He told participants everyone knows the answer. While countries must invest to protect their populations against covid19 and climate change, Ali said, "They must also survive and meet their immediate needs." He lamented, "This recent test of global resolve (with covid19) did not give much hope."

He was optimistic the world can learn lessons from the pandemic and use them to address climate change better. "Guyana is on such a path." Saying Guyana aims to reduce its carbon emissions by 70 per cent by 2030, Ali said part of that plan involves the use of natural gas as a transition fuel

"Guyana's natural gas reserves will be put to work to help generate energy in the electricity sector and in so doing, reduce fossil-fuel generating sources of energy