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Tanzania sees climate change as hindrance to attainment of Mdgs

27 August 2009, Crienglish.com
URL: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2009/08/25/1361s511266.htm

Dar es Salaam:  Climate change is poised to undermine national efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as putting poverty reduction efforts in jeopardy, Tanzanian official has noted.

During the launch of the "Reduced Emissions for Deforestation and forest Degradation" held here, Batilda Buriani, minister of state in the Vice President's Office (Environment) noted that the Tanzanian economy is highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change and to extreme weather events which were already vivid.

Recent temperature measurements from 21 meteorological stations in the country have shown a steady increase in temperature for the past 30 years, she noted. "Due to the increasing temperatures, the adverse impacts are now felt in all sectors of the economy and are threatening human life," she added.

Buriani said several current droughts in the past few years have triggered the recent devastating power crisis. The extreme drop of water levels of Lake Victoria among others in recent years and the dramatic recession of Lake Rukwa in about 50 years are associated at least in part with climate change and threatening economic and social activities, she added.

The minister of state called for appropriate plans, programs and local community adaptation strategies at both local and national level in order to reduce the negative impacts of climate change.

She insisted that while Tanzania's contribution to greenhouse gas emission is negligible in the global terms, the government considers the initiative of Reduced Emissions for Deforestation and forest Degradation a viable option that can provide opportunities for the country to meet its obligations of managing her forests and woodlands on a sustainable basis.