KATAVI: Residents of eight villages in Tanganyika district, Katavi region are looking forward to robust carbon trading as a new source of revenue, targeting to earn over 10bn/- annually.
Carbon trading is still a new concept in the country and is growing fast. For instance, protecting one tree equals or offsetting one metric tonne of carbon.
The beneficiaries are residents of eight villages of Katuma, Mpembe, Kipanga, Lwega, Mwese, Lugonesi, Bujombe and Kagunga from three wards of Mwese, Kasekese and Katuma.
Katavi Regional Commissioner RC Ms Mwanamvua Mrindoko said the eight villages for four consecutive years from 2019 have earned some 8.26bn/- carbon credit trade through forest conservation.
“At least projects 30 projects of health and education in eight villages have been built whose constructions have wholly funded by earnings from carbon emission trade,” said the RC adding:
“I also urge other villages in Katavi to engage in the newly introduced carbon trade …. killing two birds with one stone — conserving the environment and earning extra income from robust carbon credit.”
In response, Tanganyika District Council Chairman, Mr Hamad Mapengo said the project goes along with maintaining the ecology of the area, which has a total of 216,944 hectares of forest surrounded by 34,242 residents of eight villages.
Among African nations, Tanzania is home to more than one-third of the continent’s plant species and the fourth richest in terms of fauna and with a fifth of all large mammal species.
Additionally, Tanzania is the second in East Africa, with an annual 10.1 million metric tonnes of greenhouse emissions equivalent to 0.02 per cent of the carbon dioxide products. Uganda produces 0.01 per cent while both Burundi and Rwanda emit less than that. Kenya is leading the pack emitting an average of 11.2 million tonnes per year, accounting for 0.04 per cent of the global emission.
According to the United Nations (UN)’s statistical database, the entire African continent churns out just 3.6 per cent of the total global greenhouse gas per year.
Carbon Tanzania is a firm measuring the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced in various ways, including protecting forests and planting new trees in specified precincts to realise the economic value of their forests.
The government launched guidelines and regulations for doing carbon business in the country, with the ministry responsible for instructing the Vice-President Office’s Environment Department, Carbon Monitoring Centre and the National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) to cooperate with all sectors in all regions to oversee its implementation.
The minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office (Union and Environment), Dr Selemani Jafo, launched the crucial documents in Dodoma last year, as he underscored the need for legal compliance on the guidelines and Regulations.
“Together with the existing policies and strategies, the government has been taking into consideration the importance of this business and prepared the National Regulations and Guidelines for the management of carbon business in the country,” he added.
Carbon trade is the process of buying and selling of credits that permit a company or other entity to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gasses.
The carbon credits and the carbon trade are authorised by governments with the goal of gradually reducing overall carbon emissions and mitigating their contribution to climate change.
Emergence of carbon accounting and footprint management software has enabled businesses of all sizes to accurately, easily, and cost-effectively measure their scopes 1-3 emissions, as well as get guidance on reducing their carbon footprint. Some emissions, however, simply can’t be reduced or eliminated.
