Consultations are going on among different stakeholders on forging Rwanda’s stand on climate change, as the African continent seeks to present a common voice at the post Kyoto Protocol climate change conference, due in December in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Featuring prominently is how Rwanda can profit from the carbon trading strategies as put forward in the protocol.

During a climate change roundtable that convened on Thursday in Kigali, different stakeholders in Rwanda embarked on preparing a statement to make the national position on the climate change that will be presented to the East African ministers meeting to forge the regional position on climate change.

"We want to come up with one stand not only at the regional level but at the African level on climate change and that’s the purpose of this meeting,” said State Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Vincent Karega.

According to John Mungai, a senior meteorologist at the East African Community secretariat, the climate change roundtable discussions have been taking place in all EAC member states so that their views can be incorporated in the EAC Climate change Master Plan.

"EAC, COMESA and SADC are all holding the same discussion to have the firm position during the Africa Ministers Conference on Environment that will take place in Addis Ababa Ethiopia,” Mungai said.

Karega noted that the effect of climate change in Rwanda is viewed in the various ways; as draught, uncontrollable rain, high temperature that is caused by deforestation.

He observed that cooperation in different sectors such transport, forestry, energy can bring benefits.

Carbon Trading is a market-based mechanism for helping mitigate the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. 

Carbon trading markets are developed to bring buyers and sellers of carbon credits together with standardized rules of trade.

According to a report in the Financial Times, a sharp rise in the number of transactions in the emissions trading market brought the value of trades to about $64bn last year, according to a World Bank annual review.

What is Kyoto Protocol?
The Kyoto Protocol is an international environmental treaty that was mooted at a United Nations Conference.

The treaty is intended to achieve "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”

The Protocol establishes legally binding commitments for the reduction of four greenhouse gases and two groups of gases produced by industrialized nations, as well as general commitments for all member countries.

As of January 14 2009, 183 parties had ratified the protocol, which was initially adopted for use on December 11 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and which entered into force on 16 February 2005.

EA’s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by country 
Country - Date of Ratification

Rwanda - 22 July 2004
Burundi  - 18 October 2001
Uganda  - 25 March 2002
Tanzania - 26 August 2002
Kenya - 25 February 2005

Ends