Baomiavotse Vahinala Raharinirina

Inserted 2 years ago

“I was wondering three days ago during a negotiation session why it is so difficult for rich countries to pay this money. It's not aid. It's accountability. My opinion is that in the north, there is a psychological distance to the problem. People see documentary and pictures but do not feel it like we feel it when I go to the southern part of my country. People from the deep south of Madagascar are victims of something that they didn't do. They move to the west of Madagascar and it's a real risk to the biodiversity. When they move, they directly go to the protected areas where they can find resources like wood and medicinal plants - things that are normally forbidden. We should forbid the low-cost flights where you sometimes have two people go from Paris to Madrid or from Edinburgh to Vienna. It's a high-cost flight for people in my country. They pay the price of that. In September, I was attending the IUCN congress in Marseille, and I was totally shocked to see people dining outside restaurants that they are heating [with gas]. This should be illegal. There are many things that should be changed in the way of life of many European or North American or Chinese people. You have to make a choice or have to make a sacrifice.”

Theguardian

Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Madagascar