EU boosts climate change efforts Dr Bilal urges youth involvement

The European Union (EU) has issued EUR 8 million to fund five new grant projects under the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) to support Tanzania’s mitigation efforts.

 

The funding is through the European Year of Development Climate Change mitigation programme as announced over the weekend in Dar es Salaam.

 

The launch of the five projects coincided with a dialogue forum on the occasion of the second EU and EU Member States European Climate Diplomacy Day.

 

The EU Delegation, the Embassy of France and the Embassy of Germany partnered with the Centre for Climate Change Studies of the University of Dar es Salaam to stimulate a discussion and exchange on the challenges and opportunities for Tanzania and the EU in the run up to the UNFCCC 21st Conference of the Parties.

 

Speaking at the event, Vice-President Dr Mohammed Gharib Bilal emphasised youth involvement in ongoing climate change mitigation efforts emphasising that to combat climate change, Africa needs to engage everyone who can make a difference on the continent.

 

He said governments, business and investor must work together as must also cities and development partners, each contributing in their various capacities.

 

 “Celebrating the European climate Diplomacy Day at the university campus is a step in the right direction,” he said.

 

“If the young generation I see in this room, is given the required education, information and guidance they stand a better chance to make the needed difference,” he added emphasising that should such an effort be undertaken “...we will have invested productively in our own future.”

 

Speaking at the same event and seconding the VP’s inclusiveness advocacy, Ambassador of France to Tanzania said the focus for the international community this year is on two major issues, development and climate. 

 

She cited that there are several key milestones to come in 2015, the Addis Ababa conference on Financing for Development, the New York Summit on Sustainable Development Goals, and finally COP21 in Paris in December. 

 

“We all have a responsibility to pave the way for an agreement that can reconcile everyone’s aspiration to prosperity and wealth with the natural limits of our planet,” she emphasised. 

 

EU Ambassador to Tanzania, Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, reassured stakeholders that the European Union is at the forefront of climate action.

 

He said the EU confirms its commitment with the most ambitious domestic targets to date and strong engagement in securing a successful agreement at COP21 in Paris.

 

 However, he was keen to note that: “it is clear the Paris deal must also deliver on challenges other than reducing emissions. We need to scale up our support to those most vulnerable to climate change and with least means to cope with its negative consequences. EU and Africa must lead the way towards a more climate friendly future," he urged.

 

In his contribution to the dialogue, Ambassador of Germany to Tanzania, Egon Kochanke urged solidarity and cooperation. 

 

“Let us work hand in hand to promote an ambitious legally binding international agreement at the UNFCCC in Paris,” he said.

 

“We want a strong agreement that addresses adaptation with the same priority and urgency as mitigation,” he emphasised and urged that the agreement must “....move beyond familiar rhetoric and building new alliances will be key.”

 

The launched projects are designed to build resilience of vulnerable communities in various geographical areas of Tanzania including Dodoma, Pemba, Arusha, Usambara Mountains and Igunga District. 

 

The projects will scale up the integrated eco-village approach combining interventions in agriculture, agro-forestry, energy, water and natural resources management. 

 

The dialogue meeting was followed by a discussion with panelists ranging from diplomats to representatives of government and environmental networks around the theme;" The Road to COP21 for Europe and Africa: addressing challenged, harnessing opportunities." 

 

Students and the audience who attended were able to ask questions and contribute to the discussions with important messages on the mitigations of climate change impacts.

 

EU countries recognise the uneven distribution of impacts of climate change where the most vulnerable countries and regions – are often the ones that have contributed the least to the problems of global warming through greenhouse gas emissions.  

 

The EU, which has committed to a binding target of at least a 40% domestic reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, extends that commitment to support for developing countries in tackling climate change. 

 

Through development cooperation projects, the EU and Member States are able to support Tanzania in its effort to increase resilience and adapt to climate change and to present European best practice at the policy and technical level.

 

Germany and Finland, have provided sectorial support in the water and forestry sectors, respectively, in Tanzania. 

 

In the run-up to COP21 in Paris, a number of climate-related events are being organised by France to raise awareness on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations and the implications for Tanzania.

 

The EU and EU Member States European Climate Diplomacy Day is a global outreach initiative aimed at showcasing successful climate cooperation and highlighting the importance of partnership for effective climate action in more than 50 countries worldwide. 

 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN