Rwanda to join global climate change campaign

Rwanda is set to join Africa and the rest of the world in a campaign the fight against climate change which is set to take place on September 24. The campaign which will see 150 countries join global climate rallies, is aimed at urging the world to go beyond fossil fuels. On that day, people across the planet will be marching, biking, skating – calling for the world to go beyond fossil fuels while delivering clear and strong demands that can have real political impact to fight the climate crisis. Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. They include coal, oil or gas. The drastic increase in the CO2 (carbon dioxide) emission within the last 30 years caused by burning fossil fuels has been identified as the major reason for the change of temperature in the atmosphere Speaking to The Sunday Times, Landry Ninteretse, Africa Media Coordinator at 350.org, an international environmental movement, said that Africans will join the rest of the world in a massive day of action to “move our planet beyond fossil fuels, not only in key strategic cities but also in small towns and villages across the continent.” He says that by moving beyond fossil fuels they mean calling on adoption and promotion of renewable sources of energy which dont have any impact on the climate. In Rwanda the campaigns will take place in the Southern Province town of Huye and in Musanze in the Northern Province. “Climate change is no longer a myth. It is a tough reality whose impacts are affecting the poorest and vulnerable populations without resources to cope. “The recent images of extreme droughts and food shortages in the Horn of Africa have made every citizen realise that none of us can escape from the climate crisis and urgent steps must be taken to combat global warming,” reads a press statement by 350.org. Ninteretse says that from Cairo to Cape Town, from Dakar to Dar-es-Salaam, local activists are working on last-minute details of the events that will see millions of people join the campaign. “They will be demanding politicians to follow their lead in taking real action to move to clean energy and sustainable climate solutions to safeguard our future,” he said. Ends