Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo used part of his speech at the Chamber of Commerce award ceremony on Thursday evening to call out the group of Guyanese who have filed a constitutional climate case to challenge the massive oil production taking place offshore Guyana on the grounds that it exacerbates global warming and threatens human rights.
The applicants in the case claim that the oil production taking place offshore Guyana violates the government’s legal duty to protect the rights to a healthy environment, sustainable development, and the rights of future generations.
But Vice President Jagdeo said the group may only be pushing the view of some in the developed world.
“But we have here a group of people who are well-intentioned, they want to see things done in a sustainable way, but unwittingly, I believe they are pushing the prejudices of the developed world
The Vice President said while there are calls in Guyana to halt oil production, there are other calls by developed countries to intensify oil production in light of the current oil prices and market trends.
“And this is where our local NGOs have to join us in the fight. They believe here in Guyana that they have lost this sense of justice in the entire climate negotiations,” Mr. Jagdeo said.
The Vice President questioned why Guyana must not produce its resources when it is poised to become one of the top oil producers in decades to come.
“The developed world has done its bit and so our local NGOs’s often financed by NGOs that want to keep us poor, they unwittingly—it looks as though we are the worst offenders, we are the biggest source of climate change here in Guyana”. Mr. Jagdeo said.
Mr. Jagdeo said the Government will not deter from its responsibility of protecting the rights of citizens and the environment while also embracing the oil economy.
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