International lawyer and environmental activist Melinda Janki has called on members of the United Nations to request Guyana to halt all oil activities until human rights are protected.
The Director of the Justice Institute Guyana (JIG) has also requested that the special rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment be invited to make a visit to Guyana.
In a statement to diplomatic missions and civil society on December 12, 2019, at the UN’s headquarters in Geneva, Janki denounced the local oil sector arguing that proposed oil production would violate constitutional rights to a healthy environment, life and property as well as the constitutional rights of future generations.
A press release from JIG yesterday quoted Janki as saying that Guyana is at crossroads with one path leading to sustainable development from a green economy, rich biodiversity and Guyana’s role as a carbon sink while the other leads to dangerous oil production which will “make Guyana poorer, destroy the environment and violate fundamental rights.”
Reminding those gathered that the emission of greenhouse gas (GHG) from fossil fuels is already causing global warming leading to catastrophic climate change and rising sea levels, she linked a prediction of 1 million barrels of oil a day by 2025 to the climate emergency and rising sea-levels stating that such proposed production “…would cause over 156 million metric tonnes of new GHG emissions every year.”
“That would make climate change worse, would contribute to making the earth more hostile to life and violate the right to life and the right to a healthy environment. Global warming burdens future generations disproportionately. Oil production violates inter-generational equity. About 75% of Guyana’s people live below sea-level. We could lose our homes and even our lives from rising sea-levels and extreme weather,” she explained.
Janki also cited the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women which recommended that Guyana review its climate change and energy policies because of the possible disproportionate impact on women and girls.
The committee in July had noted that environmental degradation resulting from greenhouse gas emission and potential natural disasters disproportionately impact women, in particular in situations of poverty and therefore recommended that special considerations be put in place.
During her presentation Janki further argued that Guyana’s proposed oil production is contrary to the UN’s sustainable development goals including Goal 3: Good health and wellbeing, Goal 5: Gender equality, Goal 7: affordable and clean energy, Goal 13 on climate action and Goal 14: life below water.
She pointed out to the diplomatic missions that Guyana is a carbon sink with estimated net removals of 58 million metric tons of GHG every year and stated that if other countries follow Guyana’s lead and become carbon sinks human beings will reverse the catastrophic manmade global warming that threatens to destroy life on earth.
Consequently, the release said that she requested that member states recommend that the Government of Guyana takes all steps to respect constitutional rights to life, property, a healthy environment, inter-generational equity and the rule of law; halts all oil exploration and production until it has assessed the impact of oil production on these rights; and invited the UN special rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment to make a country visit to Guyana.
At the time of her presentation Janki was taking part in the Pre-sessions for Guyana’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and had meetings with a number of diplomatic missions from Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe. In addition to Guyana, rising sea levels pose an existential threat to various countries including the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Pacific Islands.
Guyana’s universal periodic review will take place in January 2020.