“THE Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) exists on a foundation built by the people of Guyana, but this foundation can be damaged or destroyed…we all have a responsibility to make sure this does not happen,” inclusive of the political parties. This was the clarion call made by Head of State, Donald Ramotar, yesterday, when he presented a status report on the nation’s path to a low-carbon economy to various stakeholders, inclusive of the diplomatic corps and the private sector at State House.
The president said that when the LCDS was launched in 2009, a call was made for support across the various spheres and is clearly illustrated in the Multi Stakeholder Steering Committee (MSSC), which he said, transcended partisan lines.
Ramotar told those gathered that he hopes  when the 2013 budget debate commences in a few days,the nation can see a similar dedication and that patriotism will triumph over partisanship, “and what we heard about cutting the budget will not become a reality.”
The president says that as long as there is a reasonable attitude on the part of the Guyanese leadership, particularly on the political front, “in Guyana this year, then we can deliver on the ambitions of the LCDS in the years ahead.”
Chairman of the National Toshaos Councill, Derrick John, who was on hand for the special update on the LCDS, lauded the programme and  said that indigenous peoples of Guyana are especially proud to be “part and parcel of the great success story that we are enjoying today.”
John reminisced on the launching of the Amerindian Development Fund earlier in the day, and said ,“I think we, as Guyanese, are all aware of what is happening in our country and the progress we have been making in the past years.”
Chairperson of the Private Sector Commission, Ronald Webster, who was also on hand to receive an update on the LCDS strategy, now in its fourth year of existence, said, “Over all, there is tremendous potential for the private sector going forward under this development strategy and we certainly look forward to the years ahead.”
He said that the nation must not “only talk the talk, but also walk the walk”, and spoke of the need to grapple with a capital city, transforming it into one that “projects the image of a low-carbon development economy.”
Webster said that from a private sector perspective, a low-carbon economy offers enormous opportunities that would also require creativity and the “ability to move things forward swiftly.”
The private sector representative cautioned too that climate change had been dismissed as a gimmick by several key persons that have now indicated that they had made errors.
The projections are far worse than had been predicted, according to Webster.
“We need to bear that in mind and work towards a low-carbon economy.”
Earning just over US$115M from its pact with Norway under the LCDS, the president told those gathered that it is hard to believe that it’s been four years already since its launch under the hand of Jagdeo, and “since then thanks to the hard work of many, including our own people in Guyana and friends and partners overseas, we have made a lot of progress.”
Ramotar conceded that in the early years of such an ambitious programme, progress can sometimes be difficult to see.
He reminded of the pioneering nature of the programme and the fact that no models existed on which to build .
Ramotar said too that “by their nature, reforms take time to gather momentum,” and suggested that when working with scores of domestic and international partners,“things take time, but 2013 is proving to be a good year.”
According to the Head of State, “We are well on the way to transforming the economy.”
He lauded some of the projects already being undertaken on the path to a low-carbon economy, inclusive of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project, which he says is on track for its start-up later this year, as well as the 27,000 laptops already distributed under the One Laptop per Family Programme.
The laptops, he said, will prepare Guyanese to participate in low-carbon employment of the future.
According to the president, thousands of Amerindian families have also benefited from the low-carbon development path, and he pointed to the land titling efforts, along with the issuance of solar panel generation systems.
He said that in 2009, under the guise of the LCDS, Guyana’s vision was to ensure that the standing forests remained of far more value than dead forests.    
Ramotar says that slow progress can sometimes be frustrating, but added “we are seeing real results on the ground.”
More than 11,000 indigenous families now have electricity for the first time from clean and renewable sources, according to the Head of State, who added also that very soon the solar panel project will also reach the riverine communities.
Norway pays for climate services, said Ramotar, but added the “vision of LCDS goes much further.”
“Thousands of young Guyanese are experiencing the early stages of our new low carbon economy in a very real way,” said Ramotar, in reference to the booming call centre industry locally, which he says aptly demonstrates that Guyanese can compete with any of the other countries in the world
“This year, we will see the big transformative investments of LCDS starting to bear fruit,” According to the president, upon completion of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric project, coupled with the upgraded distribution network, there will be a steady source of clean renewable energy.
The hundreds of millions of dollars spent each year on importing fossil fuel, particularly for the generation of electricity, can be invested elsewhere for the social well-being of Guyanese.
The Amaila Falls project will see Guyana propelled to the status of being the top user of clean energy, while eliminating 92 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.