Former US Senator hails Guyana’s green vision

Former United States Senator and long-time conservation advocate, Russ Feingold, says Guyana has a unique opportunity to use its oil wealth to protect its rich natural environment.
Speaking on the latest episode of the United For Biodiversity podcast, Feingold expressed confidence in Guyana’s leadership ahead of the upcoming Global Biodiversity Alliance Summit, set for July 23 to 25.
He described the country’s forests and ecosystems as “green treasures,” and urged that revenues from the oil and gas sector be strategically invested to safeguard biodiversity—not only for Guyana, but as an example for the rest of the world.
He also stressed how important it is for countries to have legal mechanisms or democratic safeguards in place in order to take the protection of biodiversity seriously.
“A legal tool that would be important for any country like yours that has enormous biodiversity is making sure there’s a strong ability to protect. You also have to have the resources available,” he said.
Feingold noted that the summit will present a powerful platform for Guyana to show how economic development and environmental protection can go hand in hand, and shared a critical piece of advice.
“You have to do whatever you can up front, to avoid the mistakes of the past—deforestation and environmental damage of the water and other things can occur as development occurs. You don’t want your country to become one of those places that’s called a place that has a resource curse…What we wish for Guyana is that the discovery of oil becomes a blessing and not a curse,” he advised.
The latest United For Biodiversity podcast shed the spotlight on how protecting nature can help build a more stable, sustainable, and democratic world.