Rwanda is planning to plant 63 million indigenous and exotic tree seedlings to be able to sell carbon credits on the carbon market, mitigate climate change, and build resilience to extreme weather,Indigenous trees are species that have evolved in the same area, region, or biotope where the forest stand is growing. They are adapted to the specific ecological conditions that were predominant when the stand was established.
Rwanda's 10-year climate action plan aims to reduce an estimated total of 4.6 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030. This reduction represents a 38% decrease, achieved through various interventions, including those in the forestry sector. Experts have said that carbon markets have the potential to be the next biggest export for the African continent, ensuring both environmental preservation and restoration while attracting substantive levels of fresh climate finance, although civil societies are criticising the scheme.
Herman Hakuzimana, the Climate Change Programme Manager at the Rwanda Environment Management Authority , said the carbon market framework serves as a tool to attract investors to Rwanda's carbon market, and these projects are all part of Rwanda's 10-year climate action plan, which requires $11 billion for implementation through 2030.
The stoves will promote energy efficiency which makes them reduce fuel consumption by up to 50 per cent compared to traditional stoves, thus significantly saving CO2 emissions and lowering the pressure on forests.