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{
    "id": 572707,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/572707/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 275,
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    "content": "We all know from our Standard Five studies of Science that the atmosphere in an ideal situation should contain 78 per cent of nitrogen, 21per cent of oxygen and 0.03 per cent of inert gases, among them carbon dioxide. What causes climate change is the interference with these proportions. When you have carbon dioxide in quantities that interfere with the already set out natural proportions of the inert gases, including carbon dioxide, that is what causes global warming or climate change. As I have said, we know very well from a scientific process called photosynthesis that the environment has a way of emitting - we were told those early days that during the day, plants manufacture food using carbon dioxide. They absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. That is why trees are very important in terms of availing the oxygen that we breathe in. Trees and plants also absorb carbon dioxide en masse . That is why afforestation is a major strategy of making sure that climate change does not harm us. Large plantations of trees such as in the Amazon and the Congo basin absorb excess carbon dioxide that may come from industries and other human activities. They require the carbon dioxide in the process of photosynthesis to manufacture their own food and also emit oxygen. That is the scientific bit of it. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this Bill, therefore, does two things. One, it provides for institutions and mechanisms to assist our country to do two things. First, is to adapt to climate change. Climate change is a reality. Secondly, is to mitigate the effects of climate change. Various institutions are created in this Bill. I will just mention two; the National Climate Change Council which is supposed to be an organ to develop a national climate change action plan and advise the State on matters of climate change. It states that the council is broadbased. The membership is provided for in Clause 7. It includes the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources, the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury, the Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, the Chairman of the Council of Governors owing to the devolved system of government, a representative of the private sector, a representative of civil society, a representative of marginalised communities as defined in Article 260 of our Constitution and a representative of the academia to be identified by The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}