Dutch military clean oil on Bonaire
March 1, 2024 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)
Armed forces from the Netherlands have been deployed to help clean up oil affecting beaches in the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire originating from an offshore spill blamed on an overturned barge hundreds of miles away.
The military cleaned up several beaches on the island that remain closed to the public, officials said Thursday.
“The situation seems to be under control,” acting Lt. Gov. Reynolds Oleana said. “It remains to be seen what will happen in the coming days.”Environmental officials said they can start assessing the damage once the polluted areas have been cleaned.
The spill occurred last month near Trinidad and Tobago and prompted officials there to declare a national emergency.
The government of the twin-island nation said earlier this week that a minimum of 420,000 gallons (1.6 million liters) of oil mixed with water has been vacuumed from nearby waters. They warn the number is likely larger since it does not include “a substantial amount” of oil that traveled across the Caribbean Sea or that was picked up with sand and sargassum.
A preliminary investigation has found that the overturned barge had departed from Panama and was being tugged to nearby Guyana when it began to sink.
The owner of the barge has not been found.
Officials in Tobago warned that the spill would take up to eight months to be fully cleaned, and that remediation efforts including repopulating ecosystems would take up to three years.
Venezuela ready to cooperate
15 February Day 9
Maduro instructs officials to lend aid to T&T...
President Nicolas Maduro volunteered resources to mitigate the oil spill impacting Tobago as the toxic slick continues to float towards neighbouring territories. Caracas-based news network Telesur reported that Foreign Affairs Minister, Yvan Gil, announced that Venezuela is willing to collaborate with Trinidad and Tobago in clean-up and control efforts, as well as ecological impact assessment.
“We are at the disposal of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to co-operate in whatever is required following the instructions of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan officials are monitoring the oil spill, which began a week ago…”.
The oil spill was brought to the attention of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) last Wednesday and measures 48 nautical miles (88 kilometres) long and 0.13 nautical miles (240 metres) wide. Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Amery Browne said Government is scheduled to make a comprehensive statement in the House of Representatives today on the oil spill situation and the response thus far, covering all the various elements that are being deployed, including regional and international contacts that are under way.
There has been no correspondence or diplomatic note in respect of co-operation between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela to control the oil spill, and no official offer has been extended to Trinidad and Tobago for assistance from Venezuela.
Environmental NGO (non-governmental organisation) Friends and Fishermen of the Sea (FFOS) yesterday again called on the Government to act with greater urgency to contain the spill and prevent further leakage. The spill was caused after a barge, the Gulfstream, overturned in Cove Eco Industrial and Business Park, Tobago, on February 7.
According to the Ministry of National Security, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) confirmed that the Gulfstream was being towed at one point by the Solo Creed tug from Panama but became detached. The appearance and origins of the Gulfstream had remained a mystery until both vessels were identified by the TTCG, however, the Solo Creed is yet to be found..
The Ministry, announcing the identity of the two vessels, said that the Solo Creed had been in radar contact with local maritime services through the National Coastal Surveillance Radar Centre (NCSRC).The vessel was last known destined for Guyana, but officials there confirmed this week that it had not arrived.
The oil slick entered territorial waters of Grenada and was threatening to encroach on Venezuela’s northern marine area.
Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine confirmed that the oil was heading to Grenada and Venezuela and the threat was identified during a flyover by T&T’s Air Guard.
Authorities in Grenada, Panama, Aruba and Guyana have been contacted by Trinidad and Caricom for information as part of an investigation about the vessels’ origin, intended destination and ownership.
The slick was under intense clean-up, with booms forming a 40-foot (12-metre) perimeter around the wreckage and oil-mop agents being applied to impacted areas on sea and land. Attempts to plug the leak in the Gulfstream were unsuccessful, and it is unclear how much fuel remains in the hold of the barge.
Multi-agency collaborations were ramped up this week, with Tobago receiving several offers of international assistance. The Office of the Chief Secretary announced yesterday that Augustine will update the public today during a media conference scheduled for 3.30 p.m.TEMA meanwhile has continued to warn the public to stay away from impacted zones, including beaches.
Netherlands-based online investigations group Bellingcat asked what measures are being taken to track or otherwise monitor “ghost ships” that might transit through local waters. The public reacted to a deepening mystery, urging the Government to increase coastal protection.
Dragon Gas Agreement
Both sides satisfied with outcome
Venezuelan expert says 45% of gross income not enough
2024, 02/07
President Nicolas Maduro and T&T’s Minister of Energy, Stuart Young discussed the Dragon Gas Field, which led to T&T securing a 30-year licence from Venezuela , to explore, develop and export natural gas from Dragon on December 21, 2023
Energy consultant Anthony Paul believes that the 45 per cent of the gross income that the Venezuelan state will receive from the activation of the Dragon Gas Agreement, signed in December 2023, between T&T and Venezuela is only natural as it was mutually agreed upon and will benefit both parties. These results are derived from normal negotiations.
“If both sides in a venture (investor and asset/resource owner, in this case) have come to an agreement, without duress, then we can only conclude that each party is satisfied with what it gets in return for its contribution to the venture.
“You get what you negotiate for. You know what is fair to you, only if you know the value of your input to the venture. Meaning, as an asset owner you need to understand the full value chain of the business that your resource enables, not just the operations that take place on your property.”
Britain’s multinational Shell and T&T’s National Gas Company (NGC) will pay Venezuela no less than 45 per cent of gross revenues from the Dragon gas production project offshore Venezuela’, according to licence terms published.
According to the Venezuelan Official Gazette, Venezuela is set to receive almost half of the income from the Dragon Gas deal between T&T and Venezuela. “In no case may the Venezuelan State’s income from the project be less than 45 per cent of the gross income of the licensees.”
Young confirmed that the document in the media’s possession was the official gazetted licence, provided to him by Pedro Tellechea, Venezuela’s Minister of Popular Power for Petroleum and president of the state-owned energy company, PDVSA.
The gas licence granted by the Venezuelan government and signed last December, will have a duration of 30 years and will have the possibility of being extended for a period agreed by the parties. 70 per cent of the gas produced will be exported to T&T for liquefaction at the Atlantic plant in Point Fortin, and the remaining 30 per cent will be destined for the petrochemical sector, according to the terms of the licence.
Economist Dr Anthony Gonzales, former director of the Institute of International Relations at the University of the West Indies (UWI), said that it is very difficult to determine whether the minimum 45 per cent requested by Venezuela is an equitable distribution of the income received from the sale of the natural gas.
“It is complicated as one has to know the likely prices of the sale of the dry gas and the prices of all the other components of the natural gas that go for petrochemicals, liquefied petroleum gas as well as any oil and condensate. I note that 70 per cent will go to LNG and 30 per cent for petrochemicals. As a non-expert I assume that the dry gas for electricity will be extracted from the latter 30 per cent along with the remaining components.
“The cost of production and transportation as well as profit would then have to be calculated and this is between NGC and Shell. NGC I assume will buy the gas from Shell and then NGC will sell it to the LNG plant and to the company that extracts the dry gas and then the rest will go to the petrochemical companies. I am not clear who is extracting the dry gas.”
He said it is not possible for an outsider with little information on all the players involved and their costs and prices to indicate whether the minimum 45 percent of gross income is equitable.
“I would assume that experienced players as Shell and NGC would have done their homework and made the calculation that it is reasonable and allows them to make a profit. Otherwise, they would not enter such a deal.”
Former PDVSA consultant and Venezuelan energy analyst Einstein Millán Arcia on the Venezuelan news website Aporrea argued that despite Venezuela receiving a 45 per cent cut from the Dragon Gas Agreement, he still did not think that Venezuela is getting its fair share of the deal.
“According to the press releases, PDVSA would keep ‘no less’ than 45 per cent of the gross revenues of the project, plus the royalties required by law. Venezuelan Oil Minister Pedro Tellechea does not specify [at least in the gazette] to which project the licence refers; whether the production of gas to the wellhead, or to the integral project until the delivery of the gas and its derivatives to the final destinations.
It doesn’t talk about downstream participation. The current negotiation does not seem sufficient, although it must be recognized that it is an advance with respect to the initial aspiration of Shell and NGC, who intended to keep a 70/30 cut, leaving only the royalties to Venezuela/PDVSA. The project envisaged some 350 Million Cubic Feet Per Day (MMCFD) in its initial phase. In the end, there were disagreements over LNG futures (prices).”
He said despite the fact that for this renegotiation the Gazette specifies that the Ministry of Petroleum must approve the terms of the gas sales contracts, this is not enough.
“If it is the first case; that is to say, the delivery of the gas to the wellhead without downstream participation, the business does not make sense since the equivalent [finding costs] that bring together those of exploration, part of production and capitalization of these and other reserves added and/or to be added in time from these or other prospects, could not be paid in 30 years. With 45 per cent of a million BTUs that today in the overseas market barely amount to US$2.06; that’s about US$0.92 per MMBTU.”
He argued that PDVSA’s negotiation deal leaves a lot to be desired.
“Venezuela has not been able to take advantage of the situation in Trinidad to take advantage of the downstream. Without Venezuela’s gas, the island would be forced to shut down liquefaction plants in the short term and declare force majeure, thus losing its customer base and markets.”
According to Article 62 of the agreement, the licensees will employ and require their contractors to employ Venezuelans to the greatest extent possible.
Article 71 states that the licensees may renounce their exploration and exploitation rights, as long as they have complied with all their obligations and must notify the Venezuelan Ministry of Petroleum 365 days in advance.
Article 74 states that in the event of promulgation of new laws or updates of existing laws within Venezuela, the Ministry of Petroleum, at the request of the licensees, will take measures to update the plan for whose purposes it has been approved, thus contributing to the macroeconomic stabilisation of the project.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley assured the nation last week that the United States confirmed that T&T will not be directly affected by the US possibly reimposing sanctions on Venezuela’s energy sector.
This comes as the United States has threatened to reimpose sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and gas industry, over the failure to register all opposition candidates for presidential elections this year.
US mulls restoring Venezuelan sanctions after presidential candidate barred
Eric Martin and Patricia Laya, Bloomberg January 29, 2024
The Biden administration will restore sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and gas sector if the country upholds its ban on an opposition candidate from running for president, two U.S. officials said, a move that risks chilling recent efforts to improve ties between the two adversaries.
The U.S. will allow a six-month suspension on sanctions to expire in April if opposition candidate María Corina Machado is barred from running, and is also considering additional measures, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said,
“They need to make the right decisions here and allow opposition members to run for office and release the political prisoners that they’re holding right now. They’ve got decisions they have to make before we weigh what decisions we’ll take by April.”.
The move — which follows a decision last week by the country’s top court to uphold the ban against her, as well as the jailing of some of her aides — would come as a surprise to many analysts following the thaw in relations, who had seen reversing the sanctions to be a severe response.
The Biden administration had issued a licence in October authorizing oil and gas sector transactions in Venezuela as a gesture of goodwill after President Nicolas Maduro’s government entered talks with some members of the opposition.
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said in a separate statement Monday that unless Maduro and his representatives get back on track, specifically allowing all presidential candidates to compete in this year’s election, the US will not be in a position to renew that license when it comes up for renewal in April.
Waiting until April to restore the oil and gas sanctions would give time for the U.S. to negotiate with the Maduro regime and the opposition to find a way to get Machado on the ballot.
Venezuela’s National Assembly President and Maduro ally, Jorge Rodríguez, said the government had accepted an invitation from Norwegian mediators to meet the political opposition to give the agreement reached in October “another try.”
Oil prices were little changed after the development was reported. Government notes due in 2027 slid 2.2 cents on the dollar to 19.18 cents, according to traders and indicative price data compiled by Bloomberg. Bonds on the state oil company, PDVSA, due in 2026 dropped one cent.
Guyana-Venezuela talks
February 6 Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves is pleased with the outcome of the January, 22, 2024 meeting in Brazil between foreign ministers of Guyana and Venezuela on the border dispute
“I have read the report. We had our ambassador from Venezuela, His Excellency Gareth Bynoe present there, and he has y sent me a detailed report, and you would have seen from the statements made by both Venezuela and Guyana separately. They have different stances but people are talking, and that’s the important issue and we will get there in the end, but we have to talk, and talk, and talk.”
St. Vincent and the Grenadines was host to the historic meeting between President Irfaan Ali of Guyana, and Nicolas Maduro, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on December, 14, 2023 at the Argyle International Airport, after which the Declaration of Argyle was signed by both countries. Dr. Gonsalves is the chief interlocutor in the talks as the region seeks to avert war and remain a Zone of Peace.The two nations are in dispute over the 160,000 square kilometre oil-rich Essequibo region claimed by Venezuela and which Guyana has taken to the International Court of Justice. Another meeting, as agreed, is scheduled to be held in March in Brazil between Presidents Ali and Maduro following the CELAC meeting in St. Vincent.
Joint statement against arrest of Venezuelan opposition activist
February 16th 2024 –
After the arrest in Venezuela of opposition activist Rocío San Miguel last week, the governments of Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay issued a joint statement seeking her release.
“The governments of Paraguay, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Uruguay express their deep concern over the arbitrary detention of human rights activist Rocío San Miguel and make a strong call to the Venezuelan authorities to release her immediately and drop the charges made,” the document read.
The five countries also rejected the recent measures against the Technical Advisory Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Venezuela and demanded full respect for human rights, the rule of law, and the calling of “transparent, free, democratic and competitive” elections.
San Miguel has been accused of plotting to kill President Nicolás Maduro.
Her detention was confirmed Saturday when NGOs and opposition parties denounced her “forced disappearance.”
Held at Caracas’ infamous El Helicoide headquarters of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin), San Miguel was charged with “treason, conspiracy, terrorism, and association,” according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which also denied any “forced disappearance.”
Five of her family members and relatives, including her ex-husband, were also detained.
The Venezuelan government also suspended the Caracas office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, considering that it has “instrumentalized” its work against the Executive
Venezuela Troop Build-Up Near Border Violates International Law, Warns Guyana
By Rick Martin : Feb 15, 2024
The Essequibo dispute continues to escalate as Guyana blasted Venezuela ‘s recent troop build-up along their shared border. Guyana, which has a smaller military, warned that this development is in violation of international law.
“This is not the first time Venezuela has adopted a military posture that appears to be threatening,” Guyana Foreign Minister Hugh Todd told the Financial Times as fears over Venezuelan attempts to annex Essequibo are at an all-time high.
Essequibo is officially recognized around the world as being in Guyana, not Venezuela. This stems from an 1899 international tribunal ruling that Essequibo is part of Guyana’s territory but this did not stop Venezuela from continuing to claim the territory as its own.
Venezuela recently added more and more military presence near its border with the Essequibo region, shown by satellite images published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think-tank. Those images showed Venezuela deploying light tanks and armed patrol boats at Anacoco Island near the border and expanding a nearby military base to house up to 300 troops.
Fears Maduro May Break Promise To Settle Border Dispute Peacefully
After Nicholas Maduro pursued political opponents and broke his deal with the Venezuelan opposition and the US, his military build-up is not allaying fears that he may also break his pledge to Guyana.
President Nicolas Maduro intensified Venezuela’ s claims after oil and mineral resources were found in the area. This led to his referendum last year, and despite the low turnout, it led to Maduro declaring Essequibo as Venezuelan territory, despite this not being recognized by other countries like the US, the UK, and Guyana.
Christopher Hernandez-Roy, deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies warned that “The same day that the Venezuelan foreign minister is meeting Guyanese diplomats, the Venezuelan military is conducting tank drills just a stone’s throw from Guyana. All of this tells us Maduro is pursuing a duplicitous policy. This escalatory behavior on the part of Venezuela creates opportunities for miscalculation and loss of control over events on the ground.“
French vessel to patrol Guyana EEZ to protect fisheries
February 7, 2024
Guyana is in talks with French officials for a patrol ship stationed in its Exclusive Economic Zone to prevent the loss of income from illegal fishing. Addressing the issue of security, President Dr Irfaan Ali told the Private Sector Commission that the government is further fortifying the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and negotiations are ongoing with the French to station a patrol ship here.
“There is one ship coming in very shortly, then we have negotiations going on now with the French to have a mothership established in our EEZ.”.
The high cost has to be incurred as “We are losing hundreds of millions of dollars from illegal fishing from our EEZ, that is boats coming in within our EEZ,”
Last month, Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo said that Guyana will significantly increase investments in its defence capabilities. More must be spent on defence to ensure that the capability grows to protect the country. One of the key drivers behind increased investment in defence is the protection of the Exclusive Economic Zone.
Officials found out that Guyana is losing over $100 million per year in illegal fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone. Commitments were made to ensure that Guyana could procure radar capability and interception capability among others.
Venezuelan oil sector fears losing ground if U.S. revives sanctions
February 06, 2024 (Bloomberg)
President Nicolás Maduro is betting the U.S. won’t revive all its sanctions as he backslides on a promise of free elections. Inside the nation’s oil industry, local operators are worried he’s wrong.
Oil and gas firms and contractors fear their nascent deals for everything from imports of new construction equipment to their connections with U.S. banks will break off if Maduro’s ban of opposition candidates in this year’s election prompts the U.S. to allow a six-month suspension on sanctions to expire in April. Rubén Pérez, director at Chemstrategy, an energy consultancy in Caracas said,
“This is a major setback for small firms, which live on a day-to-day basis for their cash flow. Bigger companies have previewed this scenario and can better resist. Sentiment moves between cautious optimism and grim faces.”
Reimposed sanctions would cause Venezuela’s oil production to fall 30% to 600,000 bpd in a matter of months, according to Fernando Ferreira, director of geopolitical risk at Rapidan Energy Group. Data compiled by Bloomberg show production in January increased 22% from a year earlier after the US eased sanctions in October, allowing U.S. companies to engage with state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela SA.
Revenue from oil, meanwhile, would rise between $2 billion and $3 billion this year if sanctions return — compared to increasing $6 billion to $8 billion without them, Morgan Stanley analyst Katherine Marney wrote.
Venezuela’s top court ruled last month that opposition presidential candidate María Corina Machado was ineligible to hold office, flouting pressure from the U.S. to allow her to run against Maduro. The U.S. responded by reimposing sanctions on gold exports and saying it could reinstate oil sanctions in April if Venezuela doesn’t correct course.
Oil Minister and PDVSA head Pedro Tellechea said that the country is “prepared” if oil sanctions are renewed and “open to dialog” on the issue.
The U.S. administration has its own reasons for not ending the sanctions. A steadier supply of the OPEC founder’s crude may help keep global oil prices — and more importantly, US gasoline prices — in check.
Biden, potentially facing a tough reelection campaign against Donald Trump, also needs to find ways to stem the tide of migration to the U.S. A healthier Venezuelan economy may slow the outflows.
Still, four oil industry executives told Bloomberg the renewed tensions are making them wonder whether their recent investments will be squandered. They asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation from the government. Some local firms sent representatives to the U.S. to reinstate financial and commercial relations with U.S.-based suppliers.
Slowly, small and mid-sized oil-service companies were making progress, including on possible imports of construction equipment. PDVSA had also engaged in purchases for its facilities via third parties, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.
Licence 44, as the U.S. sanctions relief is known, was seen by local companies as a “positive boost for work demand starting first quarter 2024, but this hasn’t been fulfilled yet,” said César Parra, head of engineering and construction firm DICCA. Maintenance work and investment are needed in Zulia state, Venezuela’s oil cradle, where his company operates.
Since October, when sanctions were eased, Trinidad’s state-owned National Gas Co. and IOC Shell Plc were granted exporting licences, while Repsol SA and Maurel et Prom signed new deals to ramp up production.
Delegations from Mexico’s Pemex, Bolivia’s YPFB and Indonesia’s Pertamina visited the country to review oil and gas partnerships, although no major deals were signed. It’s not clear if these deals would survive a re-imposition of sanctions.
Trinidad received assurances from the U.S. government in late January that a licence on a key gas-import project involving Shell and Venezuela will stand, according to a report.Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley said “We’re not directly affected,”
ExxonMobil to explore for oil in Essequibo region
2024, 02/07
The US oil and energy giant, ExxonMobil, says it plans to explore for oil offshore the Essequibo region where Venezuelan gunboats had six years ago chased seismic research vessels in oil concessions that had been granted by Guyana.
“The Liza field, the last time I looked, takes you pretty close to that (equidistant) line. We plan to drill two exploration wells west of Liza and Payara.
The Trumpet Fish and Redmoth exploration wells are planned more in the middle of the Stabroek Block during the course of this year so it’s not inhibiting that activity in our plans,” said President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge.
In 2015, Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro had unilaterally extended his country’s maritime boundary to take in all of the waters off the Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice counties after ExxonMobil had first announced its first oil discovery offshore Guyana.
Venezuela’s navy had also intercepted two seismic research vessels in 2018 that had been gathering data for American companies, Anadarko Petroleum and ExxonMobil, off the Essequibo Region.
Routledge said the company planned to spend around US$60-70 million on each exploration well, but that cost could escalate if more data has to be gathered and stem drill tests have to be conducted.
He acknowledged that the recent Guyana-Venezuela border dispute, where Caracas has insisted that it has ownership of the Essequibo region, which makes up about two-thirds of Guyana and is home to 125,000 of the country’s 800,000 citizens, had “made a lot of people nervous”.
But he maintained that ExxonMobil’s agreement with Guyana is legal.
“ExxonMobil has a comfort where we believe the contract which we have with the country is valid under the local law but also under international law we have valid rights to the blocks in which we are participating,” Routledge said.
He welcomed the Argyle Declaration that emerged out of last December’s talks between Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali and Maduro in which the two countries agreed not to issue threats of force or use force.
He hailed heightened defence cooperation between the United States and Guyana in the context of low carbon emissions and supply of energy to the rest of the world.
“The collaboration that we are seeing for Guyana with other countries on the military front as well as on the diplomatic and economic front reflects that and so I think it’s a healthy thing,” he said.
US Air Force Major General, Evan L. Pettus, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Commander, last week visited Guyana and held talks with government officials and top brass of the Guyana Defence Force to on-air domain awareness and collaborating on advancing Guyana’s airspace awareness capacity to protect its national security and sovereignty.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Feb 7,
Guyana assumes presidency of UN Security Council
February 1, 2024
–country to convene high-level open debate on climate change impact and food insecurity in maintenance of international peace, security, under chairmanship of President Ali
One month after joining the United Nations (UN) Security Council as one of its newest non-permanent members, Guyana will preside over the crucial global body for the month of February 2024.
The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It comprises 15 members (permanent/non-permanent), and each member has one vote. Under the charter of the United Nations, all member states are obligated to comply with Council decisions.
“The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorise the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.”
Guyana’s Foreign Secretary and High Representative for United Nations Security Council Affairs, Robert Persaud announced: “Merely one month after assuming its seat as an elected member, Guyana will preside over the United Nations Security Council in February 2024.”
He said to mark its presidency, Guyana will convene a signature event that will be chaired by President, Dr Irfaan Ali in the form of a high-level open debate under the theme, “The Impact of Climate Change and Food Insecurity in the Maintenance of International Peace and Security.”
“Given the growing concern and acknowledgement of the climate, food and conflict nexus, the open debate will promote greater understanding, better coordination of responses, and proactive approaches to addressing the intersection of food insecurity and climate change in the maintenance of international peace and security,” Persaud said.
Guyana has been at the forefront of discussions related to climate change, food security, and international peace and security on the global stage.
Regarding climate change, the landmark Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 is testimony to its commitment to not just discussing the topic, but also presenting actionable solutions for sustainable development. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had said:
“The LCDS is a framework intended to map the path of a new growth trajectory in a non-polluting way. Tropical forest countries have long called for the ecosystem services provided by the world’s standing tropical forests to be properly valued, through both public and private finance. This will enable people who live in forests and forest countries to create jobs and economic opportunity from an economy that works with nature, instead of today’s reality where forests are often worth more dead than alive.”
The LCDS 2030, according to the official website, sets out four inter-linked objectives for Guyana, the first three of which were the basic objectives of the LCDS since 2009 and the fourth of which was added to reflect new local and global realities:
-
-
- Value Ecosystem Services;
- Invest in Clean Energy and Stimulate Low Carbon Growth;
- Protect Against Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss; and
- Align with Global Climate and Biodiversity Goals.
-
In food security, Guyana is pursuing pragmatic policies to sustainably increase food production not just for local consumption, but also for the benefit of the region. It has the lead role in CARICOM’s thrust to achieve its 25 by 25 objective, which entails reducing the region’s food-import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.
Being a strong advocate for international peace and security, it is safe to determine that President Ali is well positioned to preside over a healthy debate on the pertinent topic.
“All our citizens should be proud that Guyana will play its part in building alliances and engaging meaningfully in finding long lasting and sustainable solutions to conflicts, in line with international law and the UN Charter,” Persaud said.
Guyana’s presence on the Security Council comes amidst the rise in the number of conflicts, increase in democratic backslide and threat to peace in many regions of the world.
“The wars in Ukraine and Gaza, for instance, have upended peace, causing instability with far-reaching consequences for both the human beings who are the casualties, and the international system which is now experiencing severe strain.”
Cognisant of the global issues and importance of peace, Guyana’s engagement in the Council will be guided by the consistent and principled approach historically adopted in relation to people’s right to self-determination, adherence to international law, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. The theme of Guyana’s participation in the Security Council is, “Partnering for Peace and Prosperity.”
Guyana’s tenure on the Council will be rooted in a firm commitment to multilateralism and guided by the priorities of
-
-
- (i) climate change, food insecurity and conflict;
- (ii) peacebuilding and conflict prevention;
- (iii) women, peace and security;
- (iv) protection of children in armed conflict; and
- (v) youth, peace and security.
-
Panama Canal to invest more in sustainability efforts than past expansion
FEBRUARY 15, 2024, BY JASMINA OVCINA MANDRA
In response to the intensifying impacts of climate change, the Panama Canal Authority has revealed a noteworthy shift in investment priorities, underscoring a commitment to channel more capital into sustainability initiatives.
The canal authority earmarked $8.5 billion for capital investments, and a large chunk of that is intended for decarbonization initiatives, outpacing the massive investment made in previous groundbreaking expansion of the waterway.
“We plan to embed sustainability into capital investments worth over $8.5 billion in the next five years, surpassing the $5.4 billion required by the Panama Canal Expansion Program,” the canal authority said.
The canal, a global maritime artery, underwent a historic expansion with the introduction of new locks in 2016, a colossal effort to accommodate larger vessels and increase overall transit capacity.
Panama canal drought causes global disruptions
31 January
Extreme drought is forcing authorities to substantially scale back shipping through the Panama Canal, one of the world’s key shipping channels. This comes at a time when traffic through the Suez Canal has been significantly disrupted. Ilya Espino de Marotta, the Panama Canal Authority’s deputy administrator, joins Stephanie Sy to discuss.
Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.
Amna Nawaz:
An extreme drought in Panama is forcing authorities to substantially scale back shipping through the Panama Canal, one of the world’s key shipping channels.
And it comes at a time when traffic has also been disrupted through the Suez Canal, where commercial shipping has been limited by the widening Middle East conflict.
Stephanie Sy looks into the problems for the critical Panama Canal.
Stephanie Sy:
The canal is one of the most important waterways in the Western Hemisphere and typically carries 5 percent of the world’s maritime trade and 40 percent of U.S. container traffic.
But with water levels below normal, authorities are only allowing 24 ships to cross a day, down from 38. That means more delays and higher shipping costs.
The Panama Canal Authority’s deputy administrator, Ilya Espino De Marotta, joins me now for the Panama.
Ms. Marotta, thank you so much for joining the “NewsHour.”
So describe the severity of the situation at the Panama Canal right now. You’re operating at a reduced capacity, 24 ships a day. Do you expect that volume to go even lower in coming days and months?
Ilya Espino De Marotta, Panama Canal Deputy Administrator:
Hi. Good afternoon. Happy to be here.
No, actually, we are forecasting that we will stay up 24 until the end of April, beginning of May, when, hopefully, rainy season starts again. So we have to reduce the amount of traffic because we are just entering the dry season in Panama. So we will have no rain whatsoever. And we had a very dry season in ’23 because El Nino effect.
Now, you saw that all over the world, not only Panama. So we were forced to reduce the number of transits and maintain a 44-foot draft for our clients not to be impacted too much. So we have less loss where we’re trying to give a draft that is still very competitive for the industry. And hopefully we will stay at 24 until rainy season comes back in late April, early May.
Stephanie Sy:
What if the rains don’t come back? You mentioned the periodic weather pattern El Nino, but I have also seen quoted meteorologists that say climate change has exacerbated a drought there.
Do you really see relief coming with the next rainy season? And what if that relief doesn’t come?
Ilya Espino De Marotta:
Yes, no, we’re looking at NOAA predictions. And predictions do say that El Nino is weakening and we’re going into the April/May/June quarter.
We’re looking that — is, we’re going to neutral and maybe, at the end of the year, in other words, October, November, December, El Nina effect will come in, which means a lot of rain. So, according to the meteorologist forecast of NOAA, that’s the perspective.
So we don’t think that we will have a problem coming rainy season next year.
……..
………
Ilya Espino De Marotta:
If for any reason, the rain — some delay, then we might have to adjust either draft or reduce one or two more transits per day to maintain the lake until rainy season comes in, if it comes a little bit later in the — in that quarter.
Stephanie Sy:
I want to ask you about long-term planning.
Gatun Lake, which I understand feeds the Panama Canal, there are also thirsty cities that draw water from that lake. And there is this ongoing drought. Are you in a place now where you are having to plan for perhaps an alternative reservoir to make sure that the canal can stay functional in years to come, not just this year?
Ilya Espino De Marotta:
Yes, definitely.
We are looking at a very holistic project that is not only an additional reservoir. And we do have two reservoirs. We have Alajuela Lake, which also provides potable water for the population, and it’s a regulatory lake for the Gatun Lake. So we have two lakes currently.
And we were able to fill Alajuela Lake to the maximum. So let’s say potable water is assured for the population, and that’s how we reduce transit. But we are looking at two additional projects to have increased water-saving measures, and then we’re looking at a new reservoir that will be built on the western side of the Panama Canal watershed.
We have analyzed the project. It will provide water for either 11 to 16 lockages per day, and that’s a project that we hopefully will be embarking sometime in late ’24, early ’25.
Stephanie Sy:
Ms. Marotta, tell me what your level of concern is. You make it seem like it’s a temporary problem for this year with the El Nino weather pattern, and yet there’s long-term climate change concerns and drought concerns.
How do you make sure that the Panama Canal continues to be sustainable?
Ilya Espino De Marotta:
Well, we have experienced dry years before. 2016 was a dry year. 2019 was a dry year. 2023 has been dry. So we can see that there’s a pattern change.
This has impacted the entire world, not just Panama, the Rhine River, the Mississippi River, the Amazon River, Argentina. So, definitely, 2023 has been of a big impact. We follow NOAA. We are definitely — we have — have been appointed a chief sustainability officer for the canal to impact not only the canal, but also worldwide policy to go into carbon neutrality, to be net zero carbon by 2050, but not just us, also the industry.
So we are definitely putting in place policies to help towards a better environment and reduce the carbon footprint.
Stephanie Sy:
Ilya Espino De Marotta with the Panama Canal Authority, appreciate you joining us.