Between survival of populations and control of greenhouse gas emissions, Kinshasa: Eve Bazaïba refines strategies for climate negotiations before COP27

Organized by the DRC and Egypt, the preparatory work for the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (PRECOP27) was launched in Kinshasa this Monday, October 3 in the Congress Hall of the People's Palace. These meetings were marked by the presence of Prime Minister Sama Lukonde; the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Eve Bazaïba; the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohamed as well as about sixty ministers attached to climate issues. This work will allow the preparation and formatting of the essential questions that will be addressed on climate change at COP27, scheduled for next November in Egypt.

Due to the direct involvement of her Ministry, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Eve Bazaïba, mentioned in her speech the particularity of La Cop-27, which will focus on climate change, loss and damage to the environment, and issues relating to the mobilization of the necessary resources that will enable the Congo Basin to take an active part in the energy transition for its green development and the creation of jobs for young people.

On the issue of loss and damage related to the impacts of climate change, she clarified that this differs from adaptation to climate change. According to her, these two issues should be addressed separately, since climate change causes loss and damage and adaptation rather addresses more structural circumstances.

In the rest of her address, Eve Bazaïba insisted on the difficult coexistence between questions of survival and those relating to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Faced with this, she wondered about the exploitation of natural resources which, on the one hand, allows the population to find what to eat.

“We need to exploit our natural resources and find bread for our children, but on the line of this duty, there are more and more obstacles associated with the need to reduce our emissions. Several African countries are struggling to make a choice between the survival of their populations and the control of greenhouse gas emissions, while the continent is only responsible for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. What to do in these circumstances? Exploit our resources and feed our children or watch them and let them starve to death,” she said.

In terms of priority for African countries, she noted that the price of the carbon rate owed by polluting countries is not proportional to the value of the service provided by forest countries.

However, she also highlighted the failure to respect the international commitments made by the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, before and during COP26, and hoped that this could be taken into account during the talks.
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