Groups call for concrete action against climate change

The Abuja Climate Caravan and African Climate Caravan have called for the immediate address of climate change ahead of the Climate Change Conference scheduled to hold this November in Egypt.

This was contained in a statement by the Team Lead Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, David Terungwa, for Abuja Climate Caravan Team.

According to the statement,  more than a hundred African civil society organisations are currently traveling across 28 countries including Nigeria to Egypt to present their joint declaration calling for more climate justice, stressing that  the 28 participating countries expect their heads of state and government to defend the interests of their own populations in particular.

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The group said the various governments can achieve this by supporting the agro-ecological transition and protecting the rights of farming communities through preserving natural environments and demanding greater accountability from emitting countries to finance adaptation measures on the continent.

Terungwa also said that the process, would emphasise and promote better representation of youth and women in decision-making bodies.

“We also call on the rich countries to live up to its climate commitments from the Paris Agreement – including mobilising $100billion a year for climate action in developing countries through 2025 and to take its fair share of this climate crisis that particularly affects the African continent including Nigeria.”

The Abuja Climate Caravan, which is an initiative of Oxfam in Nigeria said this movement by unions reflect the magnitude of the climate crisis in Africa, adding that the continent is facing an unprecedented hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa and West Africa.

He also noted that 66 million people are facing hunger, in part, because of droughts that are becoming more frequent and severe as rainfall becomes more erratic and unpredictable.

The statement read, “As a report released last week by Oxfam reminded us, rich countries’ aid to West Africa to cope with climate change is insufficient and is dangerously increasing debt levels.

“We call on the Nigeria government to go beyond signing agreement and policy statements without real action on the ground. Climate induced floods in the past one month caused the death of over 600 people, displaced millions of people, with farms and farm lands washed away with very slow response.

“While we demand for climate finance and loss and damage during international negotiations, we must help our people build resilience.

“As we head into the 2023 general elections, Nigerians and the media should interrogate the candidates on their plans for climate action and should vote for candidates who show a clear understanding of the issues. We should vote for climate.”