Edith Wirdze
1 May 2008
Buea — The British High Commissioner to Cameroon, H.E. Syd Madicott, has said appropriate global financial mechanisms are essential for the fight against environmental degradation.
He explained that the British government, through the Eliasch Review Team, is examining global financing mechanisms to promote sustainable forestry and contribute to the formulation of a new global deal on climate change.
Madicott made the statement at a press briefing on April 25, in Yaounde. According to Madicott, it is the reason why some British experts of the Eliasch Review Team are Cameroon.
He said Eliasch Review is carrying out a preliminary study aimed at understanding the financial and economic constraints of forestry in order to come up with sustainable ways of fighting global warming and improving on living conditions.
A member of Eliasch Review, Michael Mullan, stressed that sustainable forestry is imperative because deforestation is a major source of carbon dioxide emission in the world. According to him, deforestation contributes to 17 percent of gas emission in 2004.
The Eliasch study shows that 96 percent of emissions are linked to deforestation of tropical forests in developing countries.Another member of the Review, Judith Whiteley, recalled the Stern Review commissioned in 2005 which found out that all countries will be affected by climate change, but the poorest countries will suffer earliest and most.
It also indicated that climate change could cost five percent of global GDP every year reason for which global financing mechanisms must be considered to fight climate change.
Whiteley identified pertinent issues to be addressed by Eliasch Review such as reducing deforestation, reducing the emission of gases through sustainable forest exploitation, and reducing poverty.
The Review team, which is on a five-day visit, met government representatives of the forestry and environment sectors. It also visited the Mefou and the Campo Ma'an National Parks, to ensure that the Review's recommendations take into account the situation of Cameroon as a rainforest country.
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