BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - As the Bonn climate talks came to close on May 10, civil society and non-party stakeholder groups reiterated their call for urgent climate action. The groups demand that governments follow-up the Paris Agreement with increased urgent action to prevent average global warming from rising 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. At an action event at the Bonn climate change talks in advance of the closing session of the Talanoa Dialogue, groups highlighted that Parties must reinforce the Paris Agreement goal and commit to enhanced action as a matter of survival for vulnerable countries.“Perception on climate change has changed over the years,” said Olivia Adhiambo, Policy and Advocacy Manager at the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance. “Though we may differ on what action to take, the consensus across the world is that the climate has changed, and that someone somewhere has caused the problem. Climate change is no longer an isolated scientific and environmental issue, it has dimensions in all human development indicators.”Adhiambo says PACJA believes that climate change is a poverty issue because it has exacerbated poverty in the world; an equity issue because it disproportionately affects the poor nd vulnerable countries and sectors of the society, and a justice issue because it was caused by rich people and the poor are mostly affected.For the last nine days, delegates have been negotiating the various technical issues under the UNFCCC technical and implementation bodies, the Subsidiary Body for implementaion (SBI), and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). Key among the issues discussed include climate finance, a key enabler to the implementation of the Paris Agreement, importance of Agriculture to developing country parties in terms of adaptation, the finalization of the Paris Rule book for implementation, and increasing climate ambition through the Talanoa dialoge regarding emission cuts. This is view of the fact that the current collective pledges made under the Paris Agreement, are not enough to meet the target of limiting global temperature rise to below 1.5 oC. In fact, according to the analysis, even a full implementation of current unconditional and conditional Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) makes a temperature increase of at least 3oC by 2100 very likely. “In a world that is already warmer by about 1ºC, people and communities around the world are already facing serious threats to their human rights,” said Sebastien Duyck, Senior Attorney, Center for International Environmental Law, during a climate action event organsied by both the north and south civil society groups.In line with a human rights approach, Duyck said the survival of the most exposed to the impacts of climate-related natural disasters is already at risk while the growing temperature undermines the rights to food, water and livelihood of millions. “These human rights impacts will only grow in magnitude with the increase of temperatures - undermining the ability of the most vulnerable States to protect their own people. Keeping the increase of temperatures below 1.5ºC is a necessity to protect human rights,” he added.The gender face of…

BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - A popular slogan with climate activists in global climate negotiations is "kick polluters out". But fossil fuel companies are still welcome at the UN climate talks.The influence of the fossil fuel industry and other polluting industries has become a central topic of concern for governments.The issue of conflicts of interest and how to best ensure the integrity of the UNFCCC process once again dominated the climate talks in Bonn, Germany as governments launched what is meant to be a formative year for climate policy.Talks on developing a conflict of interest policy ended with a mandate to talk more next time.The African Group, Ecuador and Cuba and the Africa group had advocated such a policy which is opposed by the US, EU, Canada, Norway and Australia.Both sides have agreed to identify opportunities "to further enhance the openness, transparency, inclusiveness of the effective engagement of non-party stakeholders"."Once again, the United States and its pro-fossil fuel allies are on the wrong side of history, putting Big Polluters before people and the planet. But today's results prove that no amount of obstruction from the U.S. and its Big Polluter allies will ultimately prevent this movement from advancing.And while Global North obstructionism mired these talks in delays, obstruction and censorship, Global South leaders prevailed in securing a clear path forward for the conflict of interest movement, ensuring the issue will be front and center next year," said Jesse Bragg of Corporate Accountability.Delivering the Goals of the Paris AgreementThis year 2018 can make it or break it for climate change as the Paris Agreement passes through its first test.Front-runner countries and civil society representatives have presented a concrete road-map of how they are enhancing climate plans by 2020 in an attempt to push other states to commit to doing the same at the upcoming UN Climate negotiations (COP24) that will be held in Katowice, Poland.Countries need to send a clear signal in COP24 that they will enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2020 if the goal to keep warming below 1.5C is to be reached."I would say that COP24 in Katowice is probably the most critical meeting since Paris," said Alden Meyer, Director, Strategy and Policy, Union of Concerned Scientists. "The world will be watching to see if countries are serious about implementing and strengthening the Paris Agreement. We have a mandate to adopt a package of rules to implement the Paris agreement across a range of issues".Civil Society ActionA day to the end of the Bonn talks, major civil society and non-party stakeholder groups demanded that government's follow-up the Paris Agreement with increased urgent action to prevent average global warming from rising 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.Groups highlighted that Parties must reinforce this Paris Agreement goal and commit to enhanced action as a matter of survival for vulnerable countries."For the world's most vulnerable people keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees is not just a 'nice to have', it is essential to ensure they can maintain and improve their way of…

PORTO-NOVO, Benin (Nouvelles PAMACC) - Depuis plusieurs années au Bénin, la transhumance réunit tous les signes d’un conflit mille et une fois reporté.Il n’y a pas de saison où elle n’a pas eu ses morts et cela risque de ne pas s’arrêter si la méthode de gestion de cette activité ne change pas. De la révolution à la rupture, la transhumance apparait comme un phénomène sur lequel tous les gouvernements au Bénin se sont fracassés.Enquête De quoi s’agit-il en fait ? Selon Louis Gnaho, Docteur Vétérinaire à la retraite, « la transhumance est un mouvement cyclique et pendulaire des éleveurs en raison des difficultés dans leur localité d’origine de faire face aux nécessités d’affouragement, c’est-à-dire, de pâturage et d’abreuvement du bétail ».Pour Marcel Houinato, Enseignant-Chercheur à l’Université d’Abomey-Calavi, « c’est un système d’élevage comme tout autre. L’éleveur quitte sa région avec son troupeau où les ressources font défaut pour aller vers d’autres localités où ces ressources sont disponibles, tout en ayant le regard derrière et retourne dès que les ressources sont reconstituées sur son territoire ».La transhumance devrait alors se dérouler sans accroc. Elle ne devient un problème que lorsqu’elle est mal gérée. Le problème, indique l’Enseignant-Chercheur, c’est beaucoup plus lié à la traversée des zones qui n’étaient pas habituées à recevoir un grand nombre de bétail et en plus, la fréquentation de ces localités par les animaux à un moment où les activités agricoles sont encore en cours.Agonli : la zone de prédilection de la transhumanceCovè, Zagnannado, Ouinhi et Zogbodomè sont des communes du département du Zou, au Bénin, très proches de la vallée de l’Ouémé. C’est là, où les plaines inondables offrent beaucoup plus de possibilité d’alimentation au bétail.C’est d’ailleurs pour cela, qu’à chaque saison, la zone est envahie par une horde de troupeaux : dix à cinquante mille têtes de bœuf, en quête de la vaine pâture et de l’eau. Ils viennent le plus souvent du Burkina faso, du Niger, du Mali et du Nigéria.Pour James Bojrènou, un citoyen de cette région, cette période qui va de la mi-décembre jusqu’à fin mars, est un traumatisme pour les populations de l’arrondissement de Tohouè, dans la commune de Ouinhi.L’intéressé se souvient de ce qui s’est passé le 31 janvier 2013 dans son arrondissement. Sous prétexte de punir les habitants de cette localité pour les avoir chassés, les peulhs ont brulé tout sur leur passage au niveau du village de Tohouè.Dès fois vous avez plus de bœufs que d’habitants. Quand ils passent, souligne Florent Hessou un autre citoyen de cette même région, ils réduisent tout en poussière. Or, il y a une loi qui organise cette activité. Il s’agit de la loi n°87-013 du 21 septembre 1987 portant règlementation de la vaine pâture, de la garde des animaux domestiques et de la transhumance.Elle prévoit pour tout troupeau étranger, les portes d’entrée, les itinéraires et les zones d’accueil ou de transhumance. Elle détermine les périodes de transhumance. Le retour des éleveurs et des troupeaux transhumants dans leur pays d’origine est obligatoire.La…

PAMACC News - Illegal charcoal trade has been identified as key driver to deforestation globally. To stem the massive tide of illegally harvesting, production and exporting from different forests across the globe, Somalia has joined other stakeholders to push for cross-border efforts for meaningful results. The Somalia's government made their voice heard at the UN-supported conference on charcoal in Mogadishu, May 7th2018.According to a press release from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) the Somalian government have joined other stakeholders to call for international cooperation in halting illegal export of charcoal.Certain forestry products like charcoal are not allowed to be exported from Somalia the release say. The country has struggled to protect its natural forests from rapid and widespread illegal logging and for these measures to be effective, international cooperation with other African countries and Gulf states was imperative.« “We need a holistic response to address the issues of charcoal in Somalia. Both the demand andsupply side have to be tackled – to do this we need cooperation to implement the UN Security Council Resolution and ensure the environmental, economic and human losses that happen because of illegal charcoal trade are curbed, » said the Deputy Prime MinisterIt should be recalled that a similar call for international cooperation was made by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2017 to stem massive exportation of charcoal from Myanmar to China. The FAO tracks forest cover globally, said in the report that between 1990 and 2015, Myanmar lost about 15 million hectares of forest and other wooded land. In Cameroon government officials say there is increasing amounts of charcoal burning for cooking and heating in recent years as Cameroon's electricity and gas supplies fail to keep pace with demand, raising concerns among forest stakholders about growing deforestation and carbon emissions in the country. The Cameroon government has also condemned this growing trend pledging to intensify efforts at eliminating the scorge in line with the 2012 UN resolution against illegal charcoal trade and export.The charcoal supply for Cameroon's two biggest cities comes principally from the East region, which harbours rich forest reserves that are important for Cameroon in particular and the Congo Basin in general.DEFORESTATION FEARSExperts fear that if the energy crisis continues unabated it could contribute to growing deforestation that could worsen climate change and lead to more severe weather."Charcoal is obtained from the burning of trees, and if this trend continues you can imagine the quantity of trees the country is going to lose and what impact this will have for the future," said Ebia Ndongo, director of forestry in the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife.Like in Myanmar, the export of charcoal from Somalia has been banned, both by a 2012 United Nations Security Council resolution and by the Somali Government, due to its destructive effect on the environment and its exacerbation of conflict and humanitarian crises.The UNEP Press release says an estimated 8.2 million trees were cut down for charcoal in Somalia between 2011 and 2017,increasing land degradation, food insecurity…