GRAY MAGUIRE: African leaders have not done their homework on carbon credits
Once again, African governments want foreign investment, but slit their own throats when it arrives
More often than not, I find reading the paper in this country a pretty sombre affair, but from time to time I come across an article that absolutely cracks me up. Such was the case when I read that our former Prez and erstwhile Teflon Don, the dishonourable Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, had arrived in Victoria Falls for the launch of the Africa Voluntary Carbon Credits Market Forum (AVCCMF) earlier in July with 2-million freshly minted carbon credits as a “pledge to kick-start the process”.
In another clear example of not having done any homework, JZ joined with high-ranking officials from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Kenya as they staked their claim to all that sweet, sweet moolah flowing from the succulent, fatted calf that is the global carbon market. I’d still be laughing now if the absurdity of this situation didn’t reveal the underlying bigger issue here, which is the chasm of understanding on how the carbon markets work...
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