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Africa leads green battle
AFRICA, A CONTINENT that contributes
only four per cent of global greenhouse
gasses but is most vulnerable to
climate change's adverse effects, will
present a strong case at the United
Nations (UN) climate change
conference which starts in Durban
this month. The aim will be to ensure
Africa receive the finances to mitigate
and adapt to climate change.
Africa’s negotiation leader Tosi
Mpanu-Mpanu, director of the Clean
Development Mechanism Designated
National Authority of the Democratic
Republic of Congo, told allAfrica.com
Africa wants an outcome based on
science that is fair and honours the
promises all countries have made in
the UN Climate Convention and its
Kyoto Protocol. “We need to agree to
global reductions for 2050 that limit
warming to well below the predicted
1.5 degrees Celsius in Africa,” he says.
The 17th UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change will take place
from 28 November to 9 December
at the Durban International
Convention Centre.
"We need to close the 'mitigation
gap' by ensuring developed countries
take on fair and appropriate
contributions," says Mpanu-Mpanu.
Eskom cleans up
ESKOM HAS committed itself to cleaner energy
by signing two loan agreements totalling US$365m
(R2,9 billion) with the African Development Bank.
According to allAfrica.com it will enable the
parastatal to implement renewable wind and
solar generator projects.
Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba and
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan signed the loan
agreements in Washington. It will go towards
financing Eskom's Sere Wind Project in Vredendal.
Money for water
THE WORLD Bank approved a loan of
US$70m (R554m) to support the
Mozambican government's National
Water Resources Development Project
which will run until 2017.
Laurence Clarke, the World Bank
Country Director for Mozambique, says
the project will receive US$10m (R80m)
in parallel co-financing from the Pilot
Programme for Climate Resilience. The
aims are "to strengthen the development
and management of national water
resources", and increase the yield from
the Corumana dam on the Sabie river
in Maputo province, so as to increase
water supply for the Greater Maputo
Metropolitan Area.
He says this means that Mozambique
will improve its resilience to water
related hazards such as floods and
droughts and improve water storage
capacity which will in turn increase
economic opportunities for irrigation
while significantly expanding availability
of potable water for all the people
who are living in the Greater Maputo
Metropolitan Area.
Botswana Boost
BOTSWANA HAS taken one step closer to
becoming an international hub of the
world diamond industry.
The country's minister of minerals,
energy and water resources, Ponatshego
Kedikilwe, announced a deal with the De
Beers mining and sales empire that will
transfer the sorting, valuing and selling
of rough diamonds from London to
Gaborone by the end of 2013.
He says this will enable his country to
become "a major diamond centre
engaged in all aspects of the diamond
business".
The agreement will also allow
Botswana to sell 10 per cent of its
diamonds independently of De Beers,
rising to 15 per cent in five years' time.
Kedikilwe says De Beers's Diamond
Trading Company (DTC) would relocate
its operations from London to create
more jobs locally.
46 NOVEMBER 2011 INDWE