Tanzania supports climate accord

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania supports the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

The minister of State in Vice President’s Office Union and Environment), Mr January Makamba, said the deal aimed at pushing forward a world agenda to reduce impacts of climate change.

He was reacting to US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the pact signed by 195 countries.

According to Mr Makamba, the Paris accord is the right platform for all countries to minimise the impacts of global warming, which hugely affect Tanzania and other developing countries.

“The US is joining Syria and Nicaragua which were the not party to the Paris agreement. Tanzania will continue supporting other signatories of the accord to reduce the effects brought by global warming,” he said.

Climatologists have warned that President Trump’s move will deepen dangers of global warming in developing countries and it is a threat to environmental conservation campaigns.

Forum for Climate Change project manager Fazal Issa told The Citizen that Mr Trump’s decision had environmental and international implications.

According to him, since the US is a great emitter of greenhouse gas emissions behind China, it was necessary for it to be among leading countries in the fight against climate change.

“Again, as a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the US was supposed to financially support developing countries in addressing effects of climate change. The withdrawal means the support will also be frozen.”

He called on African countries to unite to minimise the effects of climate change which is mainly caused by industrial production and human activities linked to deforestation.