The Caribbean, Pacific-European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly (CPA-EU) has made an amendment in one of its resolutions on climate change, allowing Uganda and Tanzania to go ahead with the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project.
“Big win for EACOP as the African, Caribbean, Pacific-European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Maputo adopts an amendment that allows us to explore our oil and gas industry,” tweeted the Deputy Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament, Rt Hon Thomas Tayebwa, on Wednesday.
He added: “We committed to do this in a responsible and sustainable way but also invest more in renewables.”
He thanked the Deputy Speaker of Tanzania, Hon. Musa Azzan Zungu, and Hon. Edmund Hinkson of Barbados, who sponsored the resolution on Uganda and Tanzania’s behalf.
“I want to thank Gladys Boss Shollei CBS MP for the support, team Uganda for burning the midnight candle lobbying and the European Parliament for understanding and listening to us,” he added.
The CPA-EU Assembly, which brings together an equal number of elected MPs from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states and Members of the European Parliament, Wednesday made changes to “Operative Clause 5” of its Resolution on the Global Challenges of Climate Change Cooperation for Adaptation and Migration.
In a session held this week in Maputo, Mozambique, MPs voted to make changes in the resolution, to allow a global “just transition” to renewable energy and “acknowledge the importance of fair phase out and gradual transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, stressing that the achieving the 1.5 ° C target requires the drastic scaling up of renewable energy and supporting a global just transition.”
Recently, the European Union Parliament passed a resolution on “violations of human rights in Uganda and Tanzania linked to investments in fossil fuels projects” in which they called for the suspension of the pipeline project in Uganda and Tanzania.
Climate change
Hon Tayebwa said Tuesday that they had a fruitful engagement with EU MPs on issues of climate change.
“We have also formally registered our disappointment with their recent unilateral resolution on EACOP. Developing countries like Uganda which face energy poverty must be supported to develop their oil and gas resources if they are to be able to finance renewable energy projects. This can be done responsibly e.g Uganda’s oil projects are projected to emit 80kg of Co2 per barrel,” he noted.
He said other global oil projects emit an average of 80kg of Co2 per barrel.
“Developed countries should accelerate their energy transition since they’re the biggest polluters. They must deliver on their pledge of $100bn to address mitigation challenges. Time to walk the talk!”
The 42nd Session of the African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly was opened by H.E Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of Mozambique in Maputo at the start of the week.
