Jagdeo urges new global pact with incentives to fight climate change

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo continued his global campaign to fight climate change, telling a high-level Canadian audience Monday evening that fixing the energy mix, decarbonising sectors and charting a different pathway to development through a new global agreement with incentives and strong regulations, is the way to go. He was at the time one of several panelists at a Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research event titled “The Carbon Conversations: Charting a Sustainable Future”.

The discussion series, now in its second year, addresses the core of the planet’s crisis – carbon and the world’s dependence on carbon by-products.
Carbon Conversations
The Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research engages a broad spectrum of thinkers in Carbon Conversations – from students and scientists to philosophers and consumers – to generate discourse about carbon-related sustainability issues and the future of the world.
The panel focussed on the question: “Environmental sustainability and avoided climate change: mutually exclusive to development and for profit commercialisation?”
According to a release from the centre, Jagdeo spoke of his brainchild Low Carbon Development Strategy – as system of carbon credits he put in place for Guyana, which resulted in a bilateral deal with Norway. This, he said sought to balance human needs with sustainable practices.
The centre said, during his presentation, Jagdeo understood the scepticism of some in the crowd about the ability to align politics and economics with sustainability.
According to the centre, a theme quickly took shape as the panel discussion got underway with panelists advocating that sustainability can go hand-in-hand with sound investment and good business practices.
The message was not lost on the diverse crowd, a mix of 150 business executives, environmentalists, community members, students and alumni of Trent. All with an interest in sustainability in common, they gathered in the heart of Toronto’s financial district the evening of June 3.
Aside from Jagdeo, other speakers include Guyanese Dr Suresh Narine, director of the Biomaterials Research Centre at Trent, Ontario research chair in green chemistry and engineering and NSERC industrial chair.
They were joined by David G Patterson, chair and chief executive officer (CEO), Northwater Capital, and Annette Verschuren, OC, CEO and chair, NRStor, and chair, Clean Energy Taskforce for Ontario to lead a discussion under the title of the event “Charting a Sustainable future”.
Lively exchange
The centre said in the spirit of the name of the series, the Carbon Conversation was a lively exchange between passionate and informed audience members and the panel of experts.
Verschuren described her earlier career as an executive with Home Depot, where she oversaw sustainability initiatives such as the simple repurposing of furniture for Habitat for Humanity. Once retired from her position, she wanted her next venture to “make a difference”.
She sees ethical, sustainable investing as a “convenient opportunity for Canada-led innovation” and invests in solutions-oriented companies undertaking environmentally- friendly and energy-wise initiatives like smart energy storage.
Patterson shared his philosophy that demands for smart technologies will spark innovation. Sustainable businesses will generate wealth and fuel economic growth. At Northwater Capital, his are not green funds – it’s simply a belief that reducing the impact of energy use is good business, “where demand meets profit”. He went on to describe a series of smart sustainable companies, working to recycle the photo voltaic heat to produce electricity.
Verschuren agreed that “there will be a system of carbon credits sooner than we think” and urged that businesses can be part of the solution.
“The lack of capital coordination between governments, NGOs and the private sector are no excuse to stop doing things at the private level,” she said. Several comments and perspectives presented by audience members resulted in spontaneous applause.
Unique perspectives
Dr Narine thanked the panel of experts for contributing their unique perspectives to the ongoing discussion.
The successful event was the fourth in a series of expert lectures and dialogues called ‘The Carbon Conversations’.
The series is based on the concept that the crisis is carbon and the opportunity is for solutions through conversation.
The core of the planet’s crisis is carbon – its use, management and ownership is at the fulcrum of fundamental issues in the world: climate change, environmental stewardship, economic development, culture, ideology and the consumption of resources.