Gov’t to implement green growth plan

The Green Growth Strategy, which was approved last year, will be fully operational by the end of November, 2012, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) announced. Green Growth Strategy is a plan aimed at achieving sustainable development without degrading the environment.The plan promotes the application of advanced technologies to boost the effective use of natural resources, reduce the green house gas emissions and adapt to global climate change.The strategy also emphasises the need to improve standards of living and develop an environmentally-friendly lifestyle by generating more jobs in the agricultural and green service sectors.It also provides a strategic framework which includes a vision for 2050, guiding principles, strategic objectives, programmes of action, enabling pillars and a roadmap for implementation.The strategy provides clear guidelines to concerned sectors to mainstream Climate Change into EDPRS II which is part of the Rwanda National Strategy on Climate Change and Low Carbon Development that was developed over a year ago.The Director General of REMA, Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, said the document has been adopted by Cabinet which means it’s ready for implementation in every sector. “Every sector has contributed to its elaboration and has clear tasks to perform. They are busy using them and we are responsible to follow up on this,” she said.Mukankomeje told this paper the mandate has been established by a law which has been voted by Parliament.“The team responsible for managing it has been hired and will be fully operational next month”She added that this document has been developed through multi-sectoral involvement and she is optimistic that Vision 2020 has been also revised to take into consideration climate change impacts on it.According to document assigned by the Smith School in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda indicates that the Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy will help Rwanda realise low carbon development.It continues to show that Rwanda will reduce the dependence on foreign imported oil, reduces GHG emissions and acts as a major economic stimulus as payments abroad are replaced by local expenditure for energy production.“However financial support from the international community and private sector is required to make this happen,” the report warns.Now the Ministry of Finances in close collaboration with technical ministries have put in place a tool known as Fund for environment and climate change (Fonerwa) to raise resources towards Green Growth and Low Carbon Strategy implementation.The report also shows that in order for Rwanda to tackle climate change, it needs to be mainstreamed into Vision 2020, EDPRS and sector strategies. This strategy aims to guide the process of mainstreaming climate resilience and low carbon development into key sectors of the economy. It provides a strategic framework.“Rwanda is quickly and proactively taking action to protect the economy and people from the impacts of increased temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns, and to take advantage of the opportunities that low carbon development provides,” the report stated.