THE NEED FOR STRICTER ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS IN GUYANA
By RAE DAWN BRUSCH
In order to maintain and sustain the environment and minimize the effects caused by human activity, environmental laws are necessary. According to the Business Dictionary, “Environmental laws are the body of rules and regulations, orders and statutes, concerned with the maintenance and protection of the natural environment of a country.” With that said, it can be noted that the implementation of environmental laws provides a much needed basis for measuring and apportioning liability in cases of environmental crime and the failure to comply with said laws. These are towards the protection of animals and plants, the use and development of land, mining, exploration and extractive industries, forestry, pollution, fisheries, land and fire management, horticulture and cultivation, waste management, climate change and emissions, water resource management, chemicals and pesticides, weeds and invasive species, marine life and the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. The general functions of the laws are attributes for the goal, which is sustainable development. Sustainable development is the economical development of a country without the depletion of its natural resources. The two Governmental bodies tasked with the integrated approach and decision making regarding this are the Cabinet Subcommittee on Natural Resources and the Environment, chaired by the Executive President and the Natural Resources and the Environment Advisory Committee (NREAC). The Cabinet is responsible for all sustainable development related issues regarding natural resource use and the policy decisions which are decided amongst the committee before taken to Cabinet. The NREAC includes the heads of all natural resource agencies and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the year 1994, the Government approved a plan with details endorsing the concept of sustainable development and the promotion of sound environmental management. They realized the significance of establishing legal frame work to implement these policies and actions and passed the Environmental Protection Act in June 1996. This act is the dictatorial mechanism to execute environmental policy, fundamental for sustainable development. The Environmental Protection Agency is the organization with the order of planning environmental management. The laws under this act are necessary for setting benchmarks of environmental quality, environmental affect appraisal, the incensing of activities with the potential for contamination, and the penalties, fines for environmental debasement, monitoring anthropogenic effects on the earth exuding from mechanical and industrial activities, and public awareness and education. The state of Guyana’s environment is a witness that the laws implemented requires a harsher approach in our country, penalties for their disregard and the results there of. We are known as a country of immense natural wealth but sustainability can only be guaranteed through assessment and management. An assessment and report was launched by the Environmental Protection Agency on the 5th of June 2017, at the Umana Yana. The EPA had funding by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with support from varied stakeholders. According to the report, the greenhouse gases that affect our air quality are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide and explosive organic compounds. Open doors for the execution of sustainable power source ventures, expanded offers in the innovations related with sustainable power sources, and enhancing the productivity of the vitality division were likewise expressed moderation measures. Strains on agriculture, waste control and mining segments are noted as our main causes of biological and chemical pollution and high turbidity. One of the strategies mentioned in the report The general functions of the laws are attributes for the goal, which is sustainable development. Sustainable development is the economical development of a country without the depletion of its natural resources. The two Governmental bodies tasked with the integrated approach and decision making regarding this are the Cabinet Subcommittee on Natural Resources and the Environment, chaired by the Executive President and the Natural Resources and the Environment Advisory Committee (NREAC). The Cabinet is responsible for all sustainable development related issues regarding natural resource use and the policy decisions which are decided amongst the committee before taken to Cabinet. The NREAC includes the heads of all natural resource agencies and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the year 1994, the Government approved a plan with details endorsing the concept of sustainable development and the promotion of sound environmental management. They realized the significance of establishing legal frame work to implement these policies and actions and passed the Environmental Protection Act in June 1996. This act is the dictatorial mechanism to execute environmental policy, fundamental for sustainable development. The Environmental Protection Agency is the organization with the order of planning environmental management. The laws under this act are necessary for setting benchmarks of environmental quality, environmental affect appraisal, the incensing of activities with the potential for contamination, and the penalties, fines for environmental debasement, monitoring anthropogenic effects on the earth exuding from mechanical and industrial activities, and public awareness and education.
was the implementation of a National Water Agency. Our lack of sufficient waste facilities, deficient enforcement limit, illicit dumping of waste and the absence of appropriate coordination among authorities in charge are seen as the reasons behind our poor waste management. In that capacity, a coordinated approach and specialized limit building were prescribed to enhance the present status of waste administration in the nation. Positive reports were made concerning Guyana’s forests and ecosystems and were described as largely intact and functional due to our low rates of annihilation, degradation and transformation. However, we cannot underestimate the effects of overharvesting, environmental change and obtrusive species to our forest and biodiversity. Another positive note was the implementation of our national policies and approach to protect our rich biodiversity and forest. Along with the necessary measures to ensure sustainable development, solidity is imperative and can only be possible through the implementation of stricter environmental laws and systems. We depend on a healthy environment and a stable economy which is fueled by natural resources and flourishing biological systems. Environmental laws help guarantee the earth and the economy are similarly secured and promoted. Not just on the grounds that we require them both, but rather in light of the fact that each needs the other. Truly effective laws ensure that companies configurations surrounds causing the least environmental harm and make the best utilization of their assets as well as paying the expenses of averting and repairing harm to the earth.