In the lead up to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) and with 2021 marking the start of the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, Ambassador Lynch visited the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project, a program under the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute. She met with Mr. Jagnarine Singh, CEO of NAREI, Ms. Kene Mosely, Coordinator of the Mangrove Restoration Project, and Damien Fernandes, Executive Director of Conservation International, who described their coastal adaptation strategies using mangroves in combination with infrastructure as a natural based climate mitigation strategy.
Ambassador Lynch praised the program for raising awareness about the role that mangroves play in disaster management, carbon absorption, and protection of coastlines. She commented, “Climate change is already impacting the planet in unprecedented ways, causing weather and climate events to increase in severity and frequency. Guyana has seen devastating floods this year that have impacted livelihoods. Preserving mangroves helps protect Guyana’s coastline.”
At COP26, the United States will launch a range of new initiatives and partnerships with other countries and stakeholders to mobilize concrete action in key areas related to both adaptation and mitigation, including methane, clean energy, forests, and industrial decarbonization. The United States has put forward a nationally determined contribution (NDC) that aligns with keeping a 1.5-degree Celsius limit within reach, namely to achieve an economy-wide target of reducing its emissions by 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels in 2030.
