Organizers of the World Circular Economy Forum at a conference have said that ‘circular economy,’ which is the practice of reducing waste while also boosting recycling and reuse, will be vital for halting the loss of nature as it would meet growing demand with fewer resources and help strengthen communities’ resilient to climate change by encouraging more sustainable practices on the African continent.
Participants at the conference which is being held in Rwanda include the climate and economic experts as well as businesses and think tanks who are pushing for a transition to an economic model that promotes less material consumption and promotes regenerative agriculture practices such as crop rotation and cutting down the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
According to reports, the talks are expected to also push nature-based solutions to boost natural resources such as rewilding. Many on the continent are already exploring how to use waste in new ways.
“It is much easier to adapt now than the costs that we will incur if we wait,” said Wanjira Maathai of the World Resources Institute at the forum. “As climate change makes weather more extreme, the costs incurred from the damages are increasing. It is time we look at it (circular economy) as a driver of Africa’s development.”
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At the opening ceremony on Tuesday, Rwandan environment minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya said the continent should galvanize local knowledge from its youth, innovators and entrepreneurs to fast-track the continent’s development progress “without repeating the same mistakes made by the industrialized nations.”
Climate experts at the conference said the challenge for developing nations is improving standards of living without using fossil fuels like nations in the global north as many on the continent have already looked to reducing waste and boosting recycling as a way to improve living standards.
Jyrki Katainen, President of the Finnish innovation fund Sitra, was quoted in the media as saying that Investing in the circular economy “is an actual investment in climate action and environmental conservation.
The U.N. Environment Programme’s at the conference, Adriana Zacarias Farah, said that finding new uses for waste “will boost both governments and businesses responses to the major challenges of our time which are sustainable economic development, climate change and environmental conservation.
Story was adapted from AP.
