President Dr Irfaan Ali departed Guyana on Monday for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he will be leading a delegation at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP) 28.
Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo and a number of other Government officials are also scheduled to participate in the event which commences on Thursday, November 30, and will conclude on December 12, 2023.
President Ali is expected to return on Saturday, December 2.
Guyana is expected to push climate financing, forest incentives and its model Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). It will also co-chair the group of forested countries in the Commonwealth, in providing guidance on the environment.
Jagdeo has already stated that Guyana will be raising its voice at the conference to solicit funding for climate adaptation measures for small-island and low-lying coastal developing states that stand to face the imminent brunt of climate change.
He stated that while Guyana has the necessary finances to activate climate adaptation mechanisms, this is not the case for many vulnerable nations in the Caribbean.
The Government had engaged the international community ahead of COP28, to solicit support in moving forward the issues that are important to Guyana and the Caribbean. The position of Caricom is rooted in their advocation for funding in areas of adaptation, and loss and damage.
President Dr Irfaan Ali has already called out developed countries over their failure to fulfil the US$100 billion per year pledge to assist developing nations fight against climate change.
This year, the Government forged a striking multi-year agreement with United States energy major Hess Corporation for the sale of high-quality carbon credits to the tune of a whopping US$750 million.
The money received from the carbon credit agreement with Hess would total US$150 million by the end of 2023. Some $22.5 million has been disbursed to 242 Amerindian villages where 500 projects are under implementation. The sum of US$122.5 million remains in an account to be used for adaptation funding.
However, the conference is expected to be attended by leaders from over 200 countries from around the world. King Charles III is expected to address the gathering.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported on Sunday, that US President Joe Biden will not attend the major United Nations climate summit. A reason for his non-participation was not provided.
For the past two years, President Biden has attended the annual UN climate conference. In 2021, he travelled to Glasgow for the talks, where he apologised for the United States briefly pulling out of a global climate pact under President Donald J Trump, who mocked climate science.
Last year, he made a three-hour stopover in Egypt for the summit, where he reasserted American leadership in the global fight against climate change, and promoted the passage of the country’s most significant climate law.
That legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, is pouring at least $370 billion into clean energy over the next 10 years. Biden told the assembled leaders that it would help the rest of the world pivot away from fossil fuels.
