Paulette Henry (2025)
View PDF Published: 2025-09-04
Paulette Henry ✉️, EdD, MSc, BSc. Division of Social Sciences. University of Guyana, Berbice Campus. Tain, Guyana
https://doi.org/10.52377/GMPM5048
Abstract
This article critically examines environmental leadership, oil governance, and human well-being in Guyana during its transformation from 2015-2025, as the country navigates tensions between climate diplomacy and petro-economic expansion. Environmental leadership is conceptualised as the institutional and community capacity to integrate ecological stewardship with social justice through accountable governance structures. Using a qualitative integrative review, this study synthesises peer-reviewed literature, policy frameworks, and community perspectives to develop a culturally situated assessment of sustainable leadership. The analysis, grounded in systems thinking, Indigenous ecological knowledge, and environmental justice theory, reveals significant gaps between policy rhetoric and implementation outcomes. Through thematic analysis of 82 documents, four critical areas emerge: environmental health governance deficits, cultural-ecological resilience threats, inequitable resource distribution, and barriers to meaningful participation in decision-making. While oil extraction has generated unprecedented revenue and international climate finance, it has simultaneously intensified health risks, biodiversity loss, and cultural displacement, particularly affecting Indigenous and hinterland communities. The study challenges conventional environmental leadership narratives by exposing contradictions between Guyana’s international environmental credentials and domestic governance practices. It argues that authentic environmental leadership requires moving beyond technocratic approaches toward justice-based, participatory models that recognise Indigenous sovereignty and address structural inequalities. The findings provide critical insights for resource-dependent nations in the Global South navigating similar development tensions.
Keywords: Environmental leadership, oil governance, Indigenous rights, environmental justice, Guyana
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