Economic Development and Environmental Protection, a Fine Line
THE environment has become a key priority for many countries, but with the economic crisis in the United States and now in the Eurozone, the issue of climate change has been pushed to the wayside while the financial underpinnings of the world are sorted out first. However, with World Environment Day on June 5, Rwanda's role between economy and environment is an essential balancing act to promote proper development, the Government says. "Environment always goes with economics. When you have a woman who has to walk five or six hours to get drinking water instead of going to school, that has an impact," says Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, Director General of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA). Rwanda is developing fast economically, and as the most densely populated country in Africa, the environment could easily take a toll, Mukankomeje says.
