African leaders urged to curb effects of climate change

Babatunde Raji Fashola, Lagos State Governor

African leaders urged to curb effects of climate change
By Abdul Semiu Babalola

African leaders have been told to form a formidable agenda on issues of climate change, ahead of the Conference of Parties (COP-17) Summit slated for Durban, South Africa from November 29 to December 8, 2011.

The Nigerian Minister of Environment, Hajia Hadiza Mailafia, made the call at the African Mayoral Climate Change Declaration West Africa, a Pre–COP 17 conference organized by the Lagos State Government in collaboration with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiative (ICLEI).

Climate change mitigation

Represented by the Head of Special Climate Unit, Mr Adejare Adejuwon, the minister noted  that developing countries were worst affected by the effects of global warming stressing that climate change mitigation activities are aimed at achieving economic growth of the countries.

The minister also called on industrialized countries to work towards reducing green house gas emissions.

She noted that climate change has resulted into excessive rainfall, drought and destruction of farmlands.

He added that this has also led to current hike in food prices and increase in the rate at which Africans are prone to diseases like Malaria, Meningitis and Cholera.

Preparing against eventualities

Declaring the congress open, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State described climate change as one of the greatest challenges currently confronting human kind at the time the global economy was struggling to come out of recession.

Governor Fashola recalled the recent devastating floods that swept across major cities in Nigeria, Mumbai in India, Pakistan and New York.

He said African leaders should set up resettlement centres as a way of preparing against eventualities that might arise from natural disasters such as flood, cyclone and earthquake.

“All these have happened in peace time, without war. This is the reality that we face; an enemy whose army is not known, a force created by our own actions and inactions that is taking human lives almost at will through extreme weather conditions such as drought, flood, severe winter, tsunami, hurricanes, earthquakes and typhoons”, Governor Fashola said.

A global phenomenon

He said although climate change is now a global phenomenon, it however has a local impact wherever it occurs.

According to Fashola, “… It is the Governors, Mayors and Provincial heads who would stand to impact change and adaptation strategies more than national leaders such as Prime Ministers and Presidents because the former live with the problem while the latter relate to it peripherally.”

Also speaking at the ceremony, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Robin Gwynn commended the initiative by the African leaders for putting together the congress.

He said the British government has already commenced plans to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 50 percent by the year 2025.

Shakira