Rwanda endorses ‘Seal the Deal’ campaign

Rwanda has joined the UN-backed campaign to push Western countries to come up with an ambitious plan for climate change and reduction of carbon emissions. Officials from 14 African countries who attended a week-long meeting on climate change in Kigali, signed a petition dubbed ‘Seal the Deal’ aimed at pushing industrialized countries to agree to ambitious mid-term greenhouse gas reduction targets. The petition is a consolidation of global appeals for a definitive agreement on climate change that will be presented to world leaders who will be meeting in Copenhagen this December. Supporters of the movement put their stamps and appended their signatures on a white banner prepared by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), showing their support for a healthier planet. It is also aimed at arousing public support for signing a new UN agreement on climate change. According to the State Minister for Mines and Natural Resources, Vincent Karega, Africa produces the least quantity of carbon, but it is the most highly affected. He added that it was the reason the continent came up with a united position in negotiating with the highly industrialized countries. “We are not waging a war against the West, we are just trying to come up with a mutual understanding on saving the world,” said Karega. He added that in the search for global efforts to save the world, leaders will have to focus on realistic issues to come up with a new plan to confront the climate change. The regional Deputy Director of African Ministerial Conference on Environment, Peter Acquah, said the move is also aimed at changing the world from a carbon economy to a green one. “The first stage consisted of engaging with climate change negotiators to enhance the development of common negotiation position and build negotiation capacity,” said Acquah. A high-level event; Global Climate Week , set for September 21-25, will mobilize people around the planet as part of the “Seal the Deal” campaign. Reaching an agreement at the Danish capital means that the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change will have to be revised and this is the moral and political responsibility required of the leaders of the world. Ends

National

Rwanda endorses ‘Seal the Deal’ campaign