“‘Those Destroying…’: Guyana’s President MohamedIrfaan Ali Accuses ‘Hypocrisy’ in BBC Interview | Watch”
Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali has gone viral after criticizing the “hypocrisy” of the developed world in a recent BBC interview. In the viral video, Ali responded to questions about oil extraction and climate change posed by BBC journalist Stephen Sackur. Guyana is expected to extract oil and natural gas worth around $150 billion from its coast in the coming years.
In the clip, Ali interrupts Sackur as he questions Guyana’s carbon emission levels, challenging the journalist—representing the “developed world”—on whether he has the “right to lecture” Guyana on climate change.
“Do you know that Guyana has a forest the size of England and Scotland combined? A forest that stores 19.5 gigatons of carbon, a forest that we have kept alive. Does that give you the right to lecture us on climate change? I am going to lecture you on climate change because we have kept this forest alive. It stores 19.5 gigatons of carbon that you enjoy, that the world enjoys, that you don’t pay us for, that you don’t value, that you don’t see a value in, that the people of Guyana have kept alive,” Ali asserted.
Despite the world losing 65% of its biodiversity in the past 50 years, Ali emphasized that Guyana has maintained its flourishing ecosystem.
“Are you valuing it? Are you ready to pay for it? When is the developed world going to pay for it? Or are you in their pockets? Are you in the pockets of those who have damaged the environment? Are you and your system in the pockets of those who destroyed the environment through the industrial revolution and are now lecturing us? Are you in their pockets? Are you paid by them?” Ali questioned.
