Rwanda could experience more extreme weather patterns especially flooding and landslides in the next one or two decades as global warming continues to wreak havoc. The forecast is based on the fact that global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius or 2 degrees Celsius will be exceeded during the 21st century unless there are deep reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades. This is according to a report published by the UN-Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Under the Paris Agreement, the world had set up a threshold or ambitious target of limiting global warming to1.5 degrees in 2040 and 2 degrees by 21st century. However the report says the “ threshold will be beyond reach” in the next two decades without immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Experts say that an increase in the average global temperature will make Rwanda’s cities hotter, exposing residents to heat stress. Local average temperatures in Rwanda have already increased by at least 1.4 degrees since the 1970s, so a global average of 1.5 degrees will mean even higher increases in Rwanda, experts say. According to Patrick Karera, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, data by IPCC reminds every one of the imperative for climate action. “Fortunately, Rwanda’s long-term plan for growth (Vision 2050) and building resilience to climate change have set clear pathways on what to do. Moving faster is now more crucial than ever,” he said. He said that Rwanda’s targets known as “Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)” are key in driving green growth. Rwanda’s 10-year climate agenda features a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 4.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030. The plan which Rwanda has already submitted to The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) seeks $11 billion for its implementation. Rwanda has so far mobilized $216 million in green climate fund (FONERWA) to cope with climate change. The first part of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report is released ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) summit due to take place in Glasgow, from October 31-November 12, 2021. António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, on Monday August 9, said that greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking the planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk “The internationally agreed threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius is perilously close.We are at imminent risk of hitting 1.5 degrees in the near term. We must act decisively now to prevent exceeding this threshold of 1.5 degrees.We are already at 1.2 degrees and rising,” he said. “Covid-19 recovery spending must be aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement. And the decade-old promise to mobilize $100 billion annually to support mitigation and adaptation in developing countries must be met,” he added. The UK which will host the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November is is lobbying countries to increase ambition on climate change ahead of COP26 in Glasgow according to press notice. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “It is clear that the next decade is going to be pivotal to securing the future of our planet. We know what must be done to limit global warming – consign coal to history and shift to clean energy sources, protect nature and provide climate finance for countries on the frontline.”
