Caribbean News
Lack of global incentives to blame for high deforestation rates – Guyana VP Jagdeo
Guyana Public Information
Guyana, September 14, 2024 – Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has emphasised that the alarming rate of global deforestation is largely driven by the lack of robust international incentives.
He was at the time speaking during a panel discussion at the high-level discussion on Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, on Tuesday.
The United National Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that 10 million hectares of forest are cut down each year.
The panel discussion also saw the input of International Environmental Advisor, Former Minister of Climate and the Environment and Former Minister of International Affairs of Norway, Erik Solheim
VP Jagdeo said that the global objective of achieving net zero emissions cannot be achieved without widespread recognition of the importance the forest plays in this goal and support for forest preservation.
“Deforestation and land degradation creates about 16% of greenhouse gases. So, I think it’s a lack of recognition globally,” he noted.
Dr Jagdeo relayed that some 15 years ago, Guyana embarked on an endeavour to prove a sustainable and practical model for climate resilience, placing emphasis on forest preservation.
“There was the recognition that forest might play an important role, but there was no support system for it. In the UNFCC, 15 years later, that has not evolved. Forests are still not part of the offset mechanism,” he lamented.
In crafting this model, he explained that Guyana worked to address several concerns expressed by the international community.
“One, the global community was saying forest may be important, but can forest carbon really be permanent? Could it be measurable? Can the money earned from the sale of forest carbon be spent without corruption? Would indigenous people’s rights be respected? Could you have a national buy-in in such a model? And there was a grave doubt that all of these things could be achieved in any model,”
A McKinsey & Company study suggested that Guyana could generate an annual annuity of $600 million over 25 years by deforesting 90% of its land and preserving the remaining 10% as high-conservation areas.
“We said, this is what we will need to out-compete alternate use of the forest,” the VP said.
In 2022, the government inked a deal with Hess Corporation worth at least $750 million for high-quality carbon credits, surpassing the potential revenue from deforesting 90% of Guyana’s forests.
He pointed out, “McKinsey and Company did a study at that time. They showed that the lowest cost abatement solution was forests and investing in forests. So, the world knew that forests played an important role, yet it was unprepared to provide the support for forested countries that they were providing for other abatement solutions.”
He explained that Guyana has already proven the feasibility of this model through its Low Carbon Development Strategy, emphasising that now the international community must decide on implementation, and market-based mechanisms to promote preservation.
Despite having proven that the model is sustainable and measurable, Dr Jagdeo said that the international community continues to present the same concerns, hindering efforts to garner support for the initiative.
“The model has been proven. We can use these resources to support Indigenous communities without encroaching on their land rights. We can get everyone involved. We can use the funds accountably,” he said.
Under carbon credits initiative, the government has guaranteed that 15 per cent of total revenues generated are directed towards Amerindian development.
Since the allocation of $4.7 billion in 2023, the 242 villages across Guyana have implemented hundreds of transformative projects catering to sectors such as tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, industrial arts and crafts, and income-generating ventures, all aimed at advancing sustainable Amerindian livelihoods.
A further $2.7 billion will be disbursed to more than 242 villages in 2024, signifying the government’s unwavering commitment to the first people.
“The $750 million, about $110 million will go to the Amerindian communities, $640 million will go to adaptation in Guyana. Every cent will be audited. Every cent will be audited and properly spent and dedicated to climate objectives. So, I believe it’s time for the global community to step up and address this issue and provide the resources at scale,” the vice president asserted.
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By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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