Fossil fuel has created tremendous benefits to the life and development of the humanity. However, carbon dioxide (Co2) emission from its burning is one of the root causes of climate change, and the international community has mustered its will and strength to tackle this daunting challenge of the contemporary generation. In the meantime, the unexpected global pandemic of Covid-19 is raging on the planet, yielding over 3.3 million deaths and according to the IMF costing USD 375 billion monthly to the global economy. It is noteworthy that this pandemic is attributable to climate change, and in this aspect, two lessons related to climate change can be drawn from the outbreak. Firstly, Covid-19 is giving a renewed wake-up call that highlights the urgent need of reducing greenhouse gas emission. Several studies have revealed possible direct linkage between climate change and the pandemic. According to a research* the number of coronaviruses in a specific area has correlations with bat species richness, and the authors said that as climate change altered bat habitats, the species moved into other areas with their viruses, causing new interactions between animal and viruses and evolution of harmful viruses. This suggests that climate change could trigger human contact and infection of wild animal pathogens. Secondly, Covid-19 has brought forward the importance of ‘building back better and greener.’ It is an irony that cogent measures to curb the pandemic has diminished fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emission, improved environmental quality and restored some parts of the ecosystem. As governments around the world are implementing their post-pandemic recovery plans, it is crucial to mainstream green recovery and green growth in socio-economic rebuilding, and thus keep the momentum to transform into a sustainable decarbonized society. In this regard, this year the international community stands a good opportunity to chart a decisive course. The new US administration already rejoined the Paris Agreement, and U.S. President Joe Biden convened the Leaders Summit on Climate last April. In November, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 26) will take place in Glasgow, the United Kingdom, which will be an occasion to accelerate global actions for achieving the goals of Paris Agreement. The Republic of Korea is also joining force with key partners to play active role in climate change response and green growth. In particular, Korea will host the second P4G (Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030) Summit on 30-31 this May, where Rwanda, as a champion of global green growth, is invited. P4G is an initiative to contribute to tackling imminent challenges of climate change and attaining SDGs. At the Summit, with the theme of “Inclusive Green Recovery towards Carbon Neutrality”, governments, international organizations, businesses, and civil societies will exchange views and explore way forward on five main topics related to climate change response: food and agriculture, water, energy, city and circular economy. It is expected to adopt as outcome Seoul Declaration which will reflect the collective will of participants to reinforce climate actions and green growth for the post-Covid-19 era. Building on that outcome, the Korean government hopes that the Summit would become a stepping stone for the success of the COP 26. Having forged a strong partnership in development cooperation, Korea and Rwanda are implementing eco-friendly and green activities in rural development projects. To name a few, the project of ‘Supporting the Scaling-up of the UNDP YouthConnekt Initiative in Rwanda (2019-22, USD 8M)’ includes the ‘Ecobrigade program’ promoting eco-friendly agricultural environment and green youth employment. Another project titled ‘Rwanda Child Nutrition Improvement Project through Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (2018-20, USD 1.9M)’ provided eco-friendly agricultural trainings and model eco-friendly farms to increase the income and nutrition of the rural households. In Kamonyi District, ‘Increase in Farming Household Income by Responding to Climate Change and Improving Agricultural Value Chain (2019-21, USD 1.8M)’ project has extended eco-farming skills and water pumping facility using solar energy for marshland development to minimize environmental impact and improve agricultural resilience. The international community has already suffered much from the pandemic, but sometimes facing crisis breeds opportunity. The Korean government is committed to serving the P4G Summit as a springboard to promote carbon neutrality and green growth. Korea will also remain close friend of Rwanda on its journey for achieving sustainable development and the goals of Vision 2050 including through continued cooperation on green projects. *Reference: Beyer, R.M. et al: ‘Shifts in global bat diversity suggest a possible role of climate change in the emergence of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2.’ Science of the Total Environment, Feb 2021. The writer is the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Rwanda The views expressed in this article are of the writer.
