Climate change experts meet in Kigali

Following a recent government decision to join the rest of Africa in sending a united message on global warming, experts on climate change from several African countries are in Kigali to discuss the state of the global climate. The four-day meeting will collectively highlight the need for a common African stand to be presented at the December International conference on climate change in Denmark. “Developed countries have huge gas emissions that have caused global warming. We need to get a better deal from this upcoming international conference,” State Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Vincent Karega, said yesterday while opening the meeting. Karega called upon all African states to have a united stand and a common understanding of the climate change if a strong voice towards combating global warming is to be achieved. Recently, the Minister said that Africa has demanded for the developed countries to reduce their carbon emissions by 40 percent come 2050. According to Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), the reduction targets can only be achieved by adopting low carbon emission technologies. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol stipulates that countries have to reduce their carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020. Mukankomeje called upon all institutions to join efforts in the fight against global warming. “We are not the ones causing these massive carbon emissions, but we cannot afford sitting back,” she said. The meeting in Kigali is the first of the five meetings that will be held in different countries in Africa to discuss Africa’s common voice on climate change ahead of the summit. The United Nations climate change conference is scheduled to be held in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18 this year. Ends

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Climate change experts meet in Kigali