This week the government launched its Low Carbon Development Strategy. While this program is being hyped around the world with the President Bharrat Jagdeo’s globetrotting endeavours, the reality is that our citizens are struggling to find jobs and pay taxes which are among the most oppressive in the region. The President ignores these realities as he hopes for someone to pay his government money for sustaining our forests in these desperate economic times.
Critically the AFC believes that the government must continue to provide short term relief to consumers such as the reduction of fuel taxes and lower transportation costs. Further concessions are desperately needed in reducing our burdensome electricity bills.
In any Forest Policy, the government must also partner with Amerindian communities to ensure compliance and allow them to share in any development within their communities. The AFC has also advocated policy changes in other sources such as ethanol and wind power. The party is now very concerned that the government is five years behind in the proposed ethanol project in partnership with Brazil.
We all want to be good environmentalists, but we must also face the reality on what our economics will justify. It is in our national interest that we craft a policy that supports the environment but also the reality that in order to do so, significant investments will be needed in areas of economic development.
