Kinshasa, November 2nd, 2021 (CPA).– The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo and current President of the African Union, Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, arrived in Glasgow, Scotland, from Rome on Sunday for participate, as of this Monday, in the 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP26) scheduled from November 1st to 12th, 2021.
The Congolese Head of State will, alongside other great leaders of the world, make the voice of DRC and Africa heard in their march towards a green economy, in the face of the existential threat of climate change.
The Conference will strive, following the objective of the Paris Agreement, as reaffirmed by G20 summit, to keep the average increase in temperatures well below 2 ° C and to continue efforts to limit it to 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial levels, experts note.
DRC, a solution country to climate change
The Democratic Republic of Congo, which holds more than 60% of the forests of the Congo Basin and of which more than 42% of the territory is covered by primary forests, making it the second largest tropical rainforest in the world, is « a key element of the global climate solution”, recently affirmed the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to DRC, Emily Maltman, in her article entitled“COP26: a chance for all countries to act and avoid a climate catastrophe”.
“COP26 is an opportunity for all countries to take action and prevent a climate catastrophe. And for DRC, crucially, it is a chance to show the world the importance of DRC’s leadership in creating a better and sustainable world for future generations”, writes Emily Maltman, who reaffirms, speaking of the Glasgow meeting, that « over the next two weeks, the eyes of the whole world will be on DRC ».
For the British Ambassador in DRC, the country must be supported to protect and restore important ecosystems like the Congo Basin because, she argues, the loss of its forests and biodiversity would have devastating consequences for the population of DRC and its African neighbors.
“A key element of COP26 is that, alongside the commitments made by countries to protect nature, more economically developed countries must provide the USD 100 billion per year that they have pledged to support countries like DRC. The United Kingdom is showing the way by pledging USD 16 billion between 2021 and 2025”, she concludes.
Climate change is a reality, experts say. It has a significant impact on the planet. If current trends persist, global temperatures can be expected to increase by 3.4 to 3.9 degrees Celsius during this century, with devastating consequences for the earth.
The nations of the world are called upon to ensure net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Most of them have already pledged to step up their emission reduction targets.
The 25th Conference of the Parties (COP 25) was held from December 2nd to 13th, 2020, in Madrid (Spain), it is recalled. ACP /
