President looks forward to COP 17 in South Africa

President Bharrat Jagdeo is optimistic about Guyana’s maintaining a high level of representation in Durban, South Africa during the Conference of Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on November 28, even though acknowledging that national elections will be given a significant degree of attention.

Speaking to members of the media at a press conference on Tuesday at the Office of the President, Jagdeo, an avid climate change activist, said the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) presidential hopeful, Donald Ramotar, could take on the mantle if elected.

“He (Donald Ramotar) views climate issues as very important, and I’m sure that he will pay the highest level, politically to this matter,” President Jagdeo said.

At the conclusion of the 16th COP of the UNFCCC in Copenhagen, Denmark, an agreement was signed, with a pledge of US$10 billion for climate change funding.

The pledge was one of the few successful outcomes of the Copenhagen summit.

Guyana has maintained an influential position in climate change negotiations, and presently co- chairs the Interim Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) partnership with Germany since July 1, this year.

The partnership is a temporary initiative for collaboration among countries, to scale up actions and finance for initiatives to reduce emissions from REDD-in developing countries.

Climate change has proven to be a phenomenon with a threatening impact on the livelihood of people around the world, and according to President Jagdeo: “We are on a path to destruction.

“People don’t feel it but we are on a path to a five degree rise in global temperature.

If this continues for the next 30 or 40 years, you could end up with some catastrophic events- switching of currents, global temperature rising, sea level rising and forests dying off naturally,” President Jagdeo said.

With the rate of global temperature rise, however, President Jagdeo said forests stand a slim chance of survival.

“If we continue on this trajectory, we may not even do anything to preserve forests because they may just all die off naturally, with con sequences for rainfall patterns and desertification and a whole range of unbelievable consequences,” President Jagdeo said.