PNCR parliamentarian Clarissa Riehl is calling on government to initiate a massive public education campaign on climate change and the effects of poor environmental practices. Speaking in the National Assembly on July 14, Riehl opined that the administration needs to take a more proactive approach to the issue of solid waste management in the city and the country as a whole.
She noted that, despite the disastrous 2005 floods, Guyanese continue to dispose of “plastic and Styrofoam” items irresponsibly, and these clog drains and clutter parapets.
“It is incumbent on us, therefore, to educate this nation; and I call upon this administration to embark on an aggressive education and awareness campaign to be more educated about the dangers of some of these practices,” Riehl added.
She believes that the government should invest in the recycling of plastic bottles, or create the incentive to encourage the private sector to get involved in the environmentally-friendly arrangement.
“If the government refuses to ban Styrofoam articles because they collect sizeable taxes for these imports, then those taxes, or a portion of those taxes, should be given to the City Council and the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) to assist with cleaning this major hazard to the environment,” she added.
The PNCR Member of Parliament also alluded to those old back roads used in many communities as full-time garbage disposal sites. She was making her contribution on a motion on Guyana’s ratification of the agreement which replaces the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
While Riehl supported the motion, she dedicated her presentation to the prevention of disasters, particularly flooding in Guyana.
“It is all well and good to have organisations and regional bodies such as CDEMA looking after relief after a disaster has occurred, but the prevention of the disaster is what we can take hold of in our own hands and seek to do something about,” she posited.
“The 2005 floods exposed our vulnerability, and was certainly the big wake-up call for us here in Guyana.”
Meanwhile, Transport and Hydraulics Minister Robeson Benn informed the House that government has been placing special focus on increasing public awareness of these issues. Benn said schools have already been made aware of the phenomenon of climate change, since students participate in debates on this topic.
