{Members of East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) have called upon developing countries’ representatives in the global summit on climate change, to support African projects meant to protect the environment, noting that they (African countries) struggle to mitigate climate change effects, yet industrial and other activities of developed nations fuel environmental risk effects.}
The legislators raised these concerns yesterday as they participated in the monthly community work (Umuganda) held in Kiziguro sector , Gatsibo district, Eastern Province where they unveiled that African development is impeded by climate change effects mainly caused by carbon emissions from heavy industries of developed countries.
The call comes at a time when world leaders are due to meet during the climate change global summit that will take place in France from 30th November to 11th December 2015.
The speaker of EALA Daniel Kidega, said that the upcoming summit should involve strong financial and industrial practice commitments, requiring rich countries to contribute with utmost show towards projects and efforts in Africa that are meant to promote environment protection and mitigate climate change effects.
“African countries, especially EAC member states, have never ravaged the environment. However, the entire World considers Africa as the major contributor towards tackling climate change. We request EAC representatives in the summit to ask rich countries to fund African projects on environmental protection,” he said, adding that African development will be immensely affected if environmental destruction goes unabated.
Rwanda is committed to afforestation, targeting a total forest cover of 30% of land by 2018. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MINIRENA) through the Fund for Environment and Climate Change (FONERWA—which started operating in October 2012) has launched a project that targets to plant 160,000 trees per 100 hectares in Kiziguro sector, Gatsibo district.
MINIRENA argues that planted trees need protection and maintenance to assuage the effects of incessant droughts. Vincent Biruta, the minister of environment and minerals revealed that the country plans to reduce fuel wood usage to 50% from the current 95.5% by 2018.
“It is necessary to think of and put in the employ other alternatives of cooking to reduce fuel wood usage, allowing forests to regenerate, planted trees to grow, reaping the environment benefits associated with them,” he said, adding that all planted trees must be monitored and well looked after if full benefits are to be gained.
The EALA speaker also noted that his delegation will emulate such environment protection projects for replication in other EAC member states.
MINIRENA has prepared 3,800,000 tree seedlings to be planted in Gatsibo district as well as replacing destroyed forests. Other trees friendly to the growth of crops will be planted on 15,000 hectares.
EAC legislators have been in Rwanda for four days during which they held discussions on environmental protection law, especially in the protection of forests, whereupon they voted for a common EAC environmental law.
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