Currently, global food and water supplies are precariously perched on the brink of disaster. More and more, scientists and economists state that food and water will become not only scarce, but extremely expensive in the near future. This of course is being facilitated by the climate crisis that we are all going through at the moment. The still raging fires in Australia and large charred sections of the Amazon – while having elements of natural disasters – were in actuality exacerbated by the political cultures and economic imperatives that saw these countries putting a damper on environmental protection in the interest of growth.
As Guyana seeks to solidify itself as a green state with a vibrant and growing extractive industry, our susceptibility to climate disasters can see the hoped-for economic freedom, being thwarted long before it has even begun. Of course, the first victims in these disasters will be minority groups such as women, Indigenous persons and persons who are poor. This sees them facing a precarious future given the effects they will feel from the enmeshed economic and environmental agendas of our time.
We have been battling for quite a while now to effectively regulate and manage extractive industries. Our relationship with them over the years, particularly that of gold mining and bauxite, has laid bare our lack of a plan outside of natural resource utilization for economic ascendency. There is very little focus on our agricultural and manufacturing sectors, despite proclamations to the contrary.
There is substantial danger in our reliance on extractive industries as our main economic booster. One must wonder whether the benefits we reap from these extractive activities, are worth the constant devolution of our social and environmental fabric. The social ills that plague mining communities particularly must be noted as we are yet to address them holistically.
A casual look at many mining areas would lay bare an undeniable pattern of increased violence, crime and survival sex work. The latter is particularly widespread as of course these areas and their populations are often mired in poverty. Many women and children are forced, coerced or willingly enter the sex trade in communities with a strong miner presence in order to gain scarce resources. They often find themselves trapped in a cycle of poverty, violence and sexual exploitation.
Added to that is the seemingly normalized practice of land encroachment by miners that disproportionately affects Indigenous persons. Despite Indigenous lands being protected under several local and international laws, miners often seek to displace them from their homes and communities. They leave only when resources in the area have dried up, leaving in their stead a scarred environment and a once again displaced people.
The environmental impact of mining on our environment has been large wherein miners clear areas for their activities, leaving them barren of the life and ecosystems that once thrived. It is of course very difficult to monitor and hold many accountable given Guyana’s landscapes and the fact that illegal mining activities happen predominantly in remote or sparsely populated areas.
A week ago, Bosai – a Chinese bauxite producer – found itself in the bad books of the Environmental Protection Agency over yet another tailings pond spill. The company, only a month ago had a similar spill for which it was fined one million dollars, the maximum amount allowed in our environmental policies. The EPA slapped Bosai with another one million dollars fine for their most recent spillage and ordered repairs etc. on the homes that were affected. Of course, one million dollars is no large fine for a company whose profits far exceeds with ease, the paltry sums placed on them. What these two recent incidents bring to the fore is how little power and control regulatory and protection bodies have over errant international companies.
The policies that we have with regard to environmental protection are extremely lax and insufficient for our current realities, particularly that of oil extraction. With our petroleum related legislation being over two decades old and leaving a lot of leeway for clever maneuverings, we will face an uphill battle in holding big oil accountable. This of course does not bode well for our environmental or economic future. We will inevitably lose out on the value we hope to gain from oil wealth if legislative and institutional frameworks are not dealt with.
With the EPA laying bare its inability to properly oversee and regulate the sector, given its limitations in terms of capacity, resources and expertise, it is unclear how effective they might be in efficiently regulating the oil sector. As it stands, they have to rely on the good graces of oil companies in order to get to offshore sites. This of course poses significant problems as it hinders their ability to independently oversee and verify compliance.
With the climate crisis on our doorstep, it is imperative that we aim to close the glaring gaps in our management of extractive industries. This is paramount as closing these gaps will aid in the protection of not only our environment and ecosystems upon which we rely for our survival, but also our local populations that are not protected by certain privileges.
