Oil and climate change in small states

Abstract

This article challenges Daniel Yergin's proposition that climate mobilization, and not energy security, is the main driver of contemporary international engagement. I examine the realities of Guyana and Suriname, two small states in the Guyana-Suriname Basin (GSB) that give equal weight to energy security and climate issues. The two have oil reserves that together comprise more than 16 billion barrels. Guyana and Suriname are also in Wet Neighbourhoods with massive rainforests, and due to global warming, the Guyana capital is forecast to be fully or partially submerged by 2030. The article argues that GSB leaders must use some of their countries’ oil revenues to craft an Environmental Security Investment Plan, noting that although rising sea levels might only minimally affect offshore drilling, they will disrupt habitation and societal normalcy, and the oil wealth would be of little benefit to the people if appropriate mitigation is not undertaken urgently.