Johannesburg Preparatory Meeting

Johannesburg Preparatory Meeting
Evaluation of the Environmental Policy in Cameroon
Global Village Cameroon, TNI Energy Project with the UN Information Center in Yaounde, 31 July 2002

Report by Jaff Napoleon, Global Village, Cameroon

Introduction

Agenda 21 is the final document that came out of the World Conference on the Environment and Development that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 1992. This document spelt out measures that should be implemented on a global scale for development to be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.

Cameroon being one of the signatory states equally engaged in finding appropriate measures and strategies for implementing agenda 21. However, despite some advances since Rio, overall results remain mitigated. The fight against poverty, good governance, biodiversity conservation, urban and rural development, etc remained unattained and reduced to the elaboration of regulatory frameworks with little concrete actions.

Many local initiatives have been undertaken towards preparing for the Rio + 10 Summit in Johannesburg by government, NGOs and other citizen groups. Yet, no global evaluation of the implementation of agenda 21 has been conducted.

Evaluation of the Environmental Policy in Cameroon: Case of Energy

The use of energy is indispensable in moving any society out of subsistence and facilitates all human activity. Consequently, all energy policies are important in determining whether a society will move out of poverty. Today, the satisfaction of energy needs in the World is pursued with less consideration to long-term security, social, environmental and economic impacts. It is therefore clear that present trends in energy policies are unsustainable.

Political leaders noticed the vulnerability of economies dependent essentially oil, at the same time their impacts on health and emission of Green House Gases. This has generated international concern that it becomes imperative to have an integrated approach involving energy, the environment and development.

The 1992 Rio conference adopted different principles and programmes related to energy. These principles and programmes recognize the potential negative effects on health and the environment related to the use of certain energy types. The adopted declarations favoured clean energy technologies and renewable energies, but observed global energy trends do not reflect any significant necessary changes in this direction. Hence, present energy trends constitute a serious obstacle to sustainable development and the reduction of poverty. This compromises the very concept of sustainable development because emphasis is placed on fossil fuels to the detriment of energy efficiency, decentralization of energy services and promotion of renewable energies that can best serve the rural areas.

World energy systems have been evolving according to the same parameters as before the Rio Summit instead of a system where energy should serve as instrument for sustainable development. Appropriate strategies are expected to contribute to the reduction of effects of energy use such as global warming and air pollution.

In Cameroon, the problems of energy have a direct relationship to agricultural production, health, security, climate change, population growth etc. The production and use of energy here present risks for the security of property and persons given that fossil fuels and hydroelectricity are the main forms of energy in use. Renewable energies therefore remain under exploited despite the huge potential. Three quarters of the country has enormous potential for wood but the system of production, transport and distribution is still informal. Other renewable energies like solar, wind, geothermal and micro-hydro are least developed.

The energy problem in Cameroon therefore remains that of promoting other renewable energies and insufficient financing for the extension of energy services. This therefore requires government to consider the promotion of renewable energy sources and access to energy in the formulation of its energy strategies. But, the present wave of privatization of energy utilities appears to be counter- productive to meeting these needs.

As momentum for Rio + 10 in Johannesburg, South Africa increases, there are yet more apprehensions than expectations for the entire process. The Rio summit originally brought hopes for solving problems of poverty, environmental degradation etc, but these very problems have instead become more acute. Internal politics in powerful countries have relegated to the background the international solidarity needed in the fight to protect the environment and finding solutions to common problems. Therefore, the following are some of the factors that hinder progress and should be addressed if solutions to these common problems will ever come:

1. Lack of strong political will to move ahead.
   Short-term interests always influence decisions of political leaders in the North just like in the South. Citizen groups are marginalized and the participation of citizens in the exercise of power is limited.
2. Lack of International Solidarity
   There is always conflict in finding solutions to common environmental problems between the North and the South
3. Industry lobby limit moves to protect the environmentIndustries are dictating to northern governments and have succeeded in hindering progress on many issues (Convention on climate change)
4. Limited financing
   Most countries in the South have limited financing to carry out most of their commitments.