Climate Change policy completely avoids catastrophe – Harmon

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Minister of State, Joseph Harmon addressing participants at the meeting.

By Jomo Paul

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon addressing participants at the meeting.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon addressing participants at the meeting.

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Guyana’s Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan (CRSAP) is one that will guard against the effects of climate change and will definitely avert the possibility of any catastrophe, says Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.

Harmon made the statement as the consultation phase for the draft document winded down at the Regency Suites on Monday, December 14. He stated a lack of a proper policy is the precursor to catastrophe.

“I am very confident that our national policy for facing the issues of Climate change in their entirety will put to rest any possibility of catastrophe due to the lack of proper planning. I am convinced that the action plan that will engage our attention here today is a positive step in the right direction for Guyana with regard to climate change,” said Harmon.

He urged that participants engage fully on the key tenets of this document to ensure that the end product is consistent with Guyana’s reality and will take into consideration every possibility and eventuality with respect to the effect of Climate change.

“It is already an established fact that without action now, the impacts of Climate change which is already manifested through increased rainfall and other environmental anomalies will become more frequent and occur with greater intensity. This will have deleterious effects on every sector of our economy and undermine our growth prospects. Therefore, the “do nothing” alternative is not an option for us.”

He noted that it is also important for everyone to have a clear understanding of Guyana’s vulnerabilities in relation to the wider development context and work to bridge them.

“This will foster improved well-being for our citizens as the positive impacts of development projects would be maximized which could in turn reduce impacts of Climate change for our people,” said Harmon.

It was stated that the policy consolidates work done over the years with regard to climate change and goes on to identify key climate risks and priority resilience building actions.

It has been dubbed a comprehensive, forward looking policy document that will for the next five years, guide Government on advancing projects in sectors that are prone to extreme climate effects such as Agriculture, Drainage and irrigation , health and sea defence.

Additionally, it provides a set of building actions that will enhance our capacity for national adaptation planning and becoming climate resilient.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. The climate change thing is a big scam and there is evidence to prove it–Why do you think China and India are not part of it ? The biggest moron is pushing the issue so as to get the the developed countries to send money to the underdeveloped countries to full the pockets of the cronies–

  2. Those morons have no plans never had a plan all they wanted is power –drain the treasury and blame the PPP –the soldier boy is the tourism minister all he does is travel and more travel–could not have done it with his own money now he has a lot of the ppls money so why not go see the world.They can’t run anything all they can do is to run things down–they are good at that.Take a look around and you will see–

  3. Well said Philip. This Defacto Government will continue down to lead us down into a path of dismay. They have no vision. While in opposition they opposed everything PPP/C initiated now in Government they are initiating the same projects they once opposed. Go figure.

  4. The Climate Resiliency Strategy and Action Plan (CRSAP) was conceptualized and initiated by the PPP/C government in collaboration with Conservation International Guyana (CIG), an international NGO that has been doing excellent environmental work in Guyana for many years. I have not read this plan but I suspect it entails the way forward for “Climate Adaptation”, a strategy that was absent from the Kyoto Protocol but which is now a major inclusion in the recently approved Paris Agreement. Guyana must find ways to adapt to climate change and access the financial resources to do so. The money is out there and it has been allocated to developing countries. Harmon and company need to get their act together and stop wasting time behind futile “audits”. You are not finding anything. What has your SARU recovered so far? Give Prof Thomas some real work to do and let him show you how to access the money climate change. He is much better at this than looking for “lost items”.

    As far as I know, the preparation of CRSAP was largely funded by CIG. I wonder if the defacto Minister even thanked CIG because no where in this article I see CIG mentioned. Harmon and others are still trying to figure out what they took over from the PPP/C and the value of these projects for the benefit of Guyana and its people. When they were in the opposition they objected to all these projects (Amaila Falls, Specialty Hospital, Marriott etc etc) out of hate, arrogance, ignorance and plain stupidity. That was their mindset. After 7 months they are still to tell the Guyanese people about a major project that is uniquely APNU/AFC and how it will be funded.

  5. Minister Joe.I see you have learned, really quickly, to “talk the talk”.Let us hope you have not forgotten how to”walk the walk”.

  6. Harmon is an expert in a lot of fields.You just have to give jack he jacket !!! .. Or he stealing other peoples’ thunder ? Or he got fuh tek fus jump before Moses etal ?

  7. Is this the same strategic plan that Jagdeo initiated ? I taught that nothing good was done by the PPP/C.You remember how you criticized Jagdeo?Now you are commending the same plan.I hope you and your APNU+AFC government will stop putting monetary value to the future of the planet and the lives of mankind and go ahead with the Amelia Hydro -project.Remember the future of mankind and the planet has no monetary value.So when you and your APNU+AFC government cry about the hydro- project is too costly to go ahead with just shows how you and your government are ignorant. You and your government have no wisdom.

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