Dear Editor,
On the 26th of May this year, which marks the 55th anniversary of the independence of our great nation, good news comes by way of the courts in Hague. The Dutch people of the Kingdom of the Netherlands won a landmark case against Royal Dutch Shell. This case requires Shell to cut CO2 emissions by 45% in order to meet climate goals as set by the Paris Climate Agreement. According to news outlets, the courts also found that Shell’s CO2 emissions posed a “very serious threat” to Dutch residents and the company has an “individual responsibility” to reduce emissions. Earlier this year the company was also ordered by the courts to compensate Nigeria for oil pipeline leaks.
This is a significant turning point in the fight to prevent climate change targets being surpassed. It is expected that other oil companies will also be taken to court and be required to significantly cut CO2 emissions. This bodes well for the upcoming case in Guyana against Exxon and the contamination that the sector brings. The contamination in Nigeria should also be a wakeup call to proponents of a pipeline for Guyana. To date, leaks continue to plague pipeline endeavours. A visit to Venezuela would be an eye opener. Although they have the largest reserves of oil and gas, the basic needs of the people are not met, much less their wants. Covid-19 should have taught all those seeking wants and not focussing on needs that to be able to breath is much more important than building the next Atlantis. Happy Independence Day Guyana. May our Republic live on!
Sincerely,
Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of
Guyana
