Former UK prime minister urges support for developing countries

GEORGETOWN (CMC):

Former British prime minister, Tony Blair, says he hopes the upcoming United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 28) will result in developed countries injecting large amounts of financing to shift from fossil fuels to cleaner energy by poorer nations.

“I hope that this COP comes up with a significant and improved framework whereby the developed world realises its job is to help that process of financing the energy transition in the developing world,” Blair told a panel discussion following the launch of the University of Guyana’s Sophia Rainforest Research Centre on Tuesday.

The Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change said that would be the biggest issue at COP 28 that will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from November 30 to December 12 this year.

Blair had acknowledged that originally, Western countries such as the United States as well as Europe had “created” the climate crisis, but as developing nations such as India, China and other Southeast Asian nations grow by 2030, the combined emissions of the US and Europe would be 20 per cent while those from China and Southeast Asia would be almost 70 per cent.

The former British prime minister also said there was a crucial role for India and China in combating climate change, and urged nations to find a middle ground in addressing the climate crisis that has been wreaking havoc through intense droughts, severe floods and violent storms.

”Whatever problems we have that are in the realm of confrontation, we can’t solve climate change without developing technology and we can’t develop the technology unless countries like China and India are part of the solution,” he said

Blair also called for an end to the more than 20-year standoff between environmentalists and developmentalists, and urged that they instead strive for a combined balance between the two.

He said that Guyana, as a developing country, has a task of earning revenues from oil and gas while protecting the environment.

President Irfaan Ali, who also participated in the panel discussion, said Guyana remains a staunch advocate for a better price for carbon credits on the world market, as he dealt with the issue of balancing development with protection of rainforests.

Meanwhile, the the Sophia Point Rainforest Research Centre said it aims to serve as a hub of research, education and training for stakeholders seeking to fight against climate change.

The centre is co-founded by United Kingdom parliamentarian David Lammy and his wife, Nicola Green.