Ahead of the Climate Change Conference, which is planned to take place in Egypt this November, the African and Abuja Climate Caravans have demanded that the issue of climate change be addressed right away.
David Terungwa, Team Lead Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, stated this in a statement for the Abuja Climate Caravan Team.
The appeal was made as a means of bringing civil societies and communities affected by climate change together.
More than a hundred African civil society organizations, including those from Nigeria and Egypt, are currently traveling across 28 nations to deliver their joint declaration calling for greater climate justice.
The statement emphasizes that the 28 participating nations expect their heads of state and government to defend the interests of their own populations in particular.
The organization asserted that the different governments may accomplish this by encouraging the agro-ecological transition, defending the rights of farming communities by maintaining natural habitats, and putting greater pressure on emitting nations to pay for adaption measures on the continent.
Terungwa added that the procedure would emphasize and encourage better representation of women and young people in bodies that make decisions.
“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 Horn of Africa and West Africa are experiencing an unprecedented hunger crisis, according to the Abuja Climate Caravan, an initiative of Oxfam in Nigeria. It also noted that this movement by unions reflects the severity of the continent’s climate crisis.
Furthermore, he pointed out that 66 million people are suffering from hunger, in part as a result of droughts that are occurring more frequently and severely as a result of unpredictable and inconsistent rainfall.
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.”
