By Avit Ndayiziga For the first time, COP28 operationalized the loss and damage fund and called on Parties to shift away from fossil fuels by tripling renewable energy while doubling energy efficiency by 2030. On December 12, 2023, while COP28 was stretching into its final hours, Expo City Dubai started to empty itself out and…
By Avit Ndayiziga Unity, action, and delivery are prerequisites in the realm of finance to enable climate action. said Dr.Werner Hoyer, president of Emirates Islamic Bank during COP28 Finance Day. Today, December 4, 2023, marks Finance Day of COP28. It is the most important day of Conferences of the Parties as it unlock funds to…
By Avit Ndayiziga While developed nations commit billions to climate financing, poorer nations urge smooth climate funding processes. Despite operationalizing loss and damage fund, poorer nations, most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, complain that accessing climate finances involves overwhelming procedures that hinder the timely implementation of their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). On…
By Avit Ndayiziga COP28 has kicked off with a groundbreaking agreement to operationalize the loss and damage fund of $420 million. This fund from polluters or rich nations, aims to provide crucial assistance to developing nations that face heightened vulnerability due to the adverse effects of climate change. It is a Thursday morning, November 30,…
By Avit Ndayiziga “The world should not focus on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, instead counting the number of lives saved.” Said the COP27 president’s Youth Envoy, Dr. Omnia El Omrani during COY18 closing ceremonies. “Although I had a long flight, complex check-out at Dubai airport, and a very short time for resting,…
By Avit Ndayiziga Although the entire world is affected by severe heatwaves, extreme weather events, catastrophic deluges, and debilitating droughts, it is however the Global South, especially Africa, that suffers the most from these disastrous consequences. Unfortunately, Africa suffers the most despite contributing just 4 percent of global carbon emissions. Augustin Ngenzirabona, the General Director…
By Avit Ndayiziga Gad Niyomukunzi is a resident of Burundi’s capital, where he turns the plastics choking local rivers into beautiful decorations – and employs 30 full-time workers to help him. It was the fishermen who finally pushed Gad Niyomukunzi to act. He had been noticing the build-up of plastic bottles in streams in the…
By Avit Ndayiziga. In Burundi, getting rid of plastic bags and substituting them with other eco-friendly bags produced from recycled banana waste has a significant contribution to mitigating climate change, as well as job creation for many. Raised in a secluded location in the middle of Burundi, Jolis Nduwimana is devoting immense effort towards combating…
In Burundi, just like elsewhere in the countries that share the Kagera River Basin (Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda), water remains a limited and vulnerable resource. According to UNICEF, Burundi’s national drinking water coverage rate stands at “82.8%, of which 80.9% is in rural areas and 98.1% in urban areas.” Experts attribute this to various factors, including…
