Rwanda Environment and Climate Change Analysis

This policy brief aims at presenting key environmental sustainability challenges and opportunities in Rwanda, and their linkages to poverty reduction and socio-economic development. The assignment was conducted as a desk-study, based on available reports, research papers and statistics. The lack of access to statistics in general and environmental statistics in particular is a challenge and should be considered when reading this policy brief.

The main environmental challenges facing Rwanda are: i) land scarcity, ii) soil degradation and soil erosion, iii) deforestation, iv) climate change, v) loss of biodiversity, vi) water pollution and access, vii) urban pollution and natural resources pressures, viii) generation of hazardous and solid waste, ix) natural resource depletion.

Coupled with these bio-physical environmental problems are pressures from the growing population; Rwanda’s population size is around 12.4 million people (est. 2018). Population growth is currently 2.4% per year. This factor combined with economic growth exert pressures on the country’s natural resources, most notably on the country’s waters, forests, lands and biodiversity.