RWANDA HOSTS AFRICA CARBON FORUM

Nyabarongo river in Rwanda

By Michel Nkurunziza

Rwanda is hosting Africa Carbon Forum where over 1,000 climate change experts are putting heads together to bring lasting solutions.

Carbon market players, policy makers and project developers from across Africa are convening in Kigali to discuss Africa's road map to sustainable development, shared prosperity and how to turn climate challenges into opportunities.

The gathering is also discussing sources of climate finance and how to access them. This is the first major conference on climate change since more than 170 countries, including Rwanda signed the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change in December last year.

Speaking during the presses conference on this development earlier on (Monday), the minister of natural resources, Vincent Biruta said the forum will focus on the implementation of the Paris Agreement for low-carbon and transformational development in Africa.

He said Rwanda is among many countries that have already ratified to the agreement recently. "The Paris Agreement on Climate Change is an ambitious plan to limit temperature increases to below 1.5 degrees Celsius and manage the impacts of a warming planet. We must now turn this global commitment into local action. Rwanda looks forward to sharing our experiences of green growth and climate resilient development with the continent and learning from others," Vincent Biruta said.

The Africa Carbon Forum is one of the largest gatherings of green growth and climate resilience experts from around the world. Rwanda was selected to host the conference because of its environment protection and climate change mitigation efforts.

These include a ban on non-biodegradable plastics, the restoration of degraded ecosystems, the creation, reforestation and protection of national parks and the promotion of renewable energy.

Other programmes, Biruta said, include; boosting renewable energy production, control car and industry emissions, water harvesting and irrigation, providing timely information on climate trends and extreme weather events to ensure those who call Africa home are fully prepared for the impacts of climate change.

"Countries in Africa feel the dangers of climate change and climate action can give to sustainable development. With the right climate policy choices, and by working together, countries can spur investment that benefits people and the atmosphere for sustainable development," said Daniele Violetti, Chief of Staff, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Minister Biruta highlighted that during the forum, Rwanda will share the work of the country's Green Fund ( Fonerwa ) , an environment and climate change fund which invests in the best public and private projects that support Rwanda's commitment to building a green economy.

He said the fund is currently financing 33 transformative climate resilience initiatives across the country. The fund has also already mobilized over$100m to finance such projects.

Africa Carbon Forum is held every year since 2008 and is organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat in collaboration with different partners including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), Africa Low Emission Development Partnership and the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA).

CREDIT SOURCE: ALLAFRICA.COM