FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Nov 14 (IPS) – Sierra Leone is among the many 10 % of nations on the earth which might be most susceptible to the opposed penalties of local weather change, and presently one of many least in a position to deal with the consequences.
Unpredictable climate patterns, extreme flooding, mudslides, and related crop failures have gotten extra frequent even because the nation is witnessing bushes being minimize down at a sooner price than being planted.
And local weather scientists inform us that if the world doesn’t obtain a pointy drop in world warming within the subsequent eight years, the pure calamities that now we have seen in current instances world wide shall be baby’s play in contrast to what’s to come back.
COP27, the twenty seventh Convention of State Events, going down in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt is the annual gathering by the United Nations of governments, scientists, and different key stakeholders from all nations of the world to evaluate progress in efforts to avert environmental disaster, towards commitments contained in world local weather motion agreements.
Africa, the worldwide area which has contributed the least to the continuing local weather disaster, has skilled a few of the worst losses and damages attributable to human-induced local weather change.
So, because the continent hosts this 12 months’s COP, the important thing preoccupation shall be producing a roadmap for the implementation of unfulfilled guarantees from earlier COPs. That is particularly in relation to the pending monetary pledges made by wealthy nations to assist creating nations like Sierra Leone to reduce the impression of and adapt to local weather change.
The purpose have to be made that the problem of fulfilling local weather finance obligations of high-income nations to creating nations is way much less a matter of support dependency than of local weather justice.
There’ll justifiably be a big push for elevated funding for adaptation and resilience tasks in low- and lower-middle-income nations to generate constructive impacts in the direction of financial development, social progress, and enhanced resilience to local weather change.
A particular demand shall be for wealthier nations to make good on their $100 billion annual local weather finance dedication and on the doubling of adaptation assist to $40 billion by 2025 agreed to in Glasgow final 12 months throughout COP26.
Among the many different concrete proposals to be strongly canvassed at COP27 is the institution and activation throughout the subsequent 5 years of an early warning system for local weather emergencies that might cowl the entire world.
One other is a pipeline of bankable climate-smart tasks (round 400) in areas equivalent to agriculture, vitality, transportation, digital applied sciences and platforms, and natural merchandise. There will even be a lot consideration to choices and actions, particularly financing, to handle ‘loss and harm’ which might be past nations’ skills to deal with.
Sierra Leone, like many creating nations, is in the present day beset by a multi-faceted disaster of meals insecurity, near-debt misery, galloping value of residing, and vitality deficit which can be limiting consideration to the clear and current hazard posed by the local weather disaster to humanity.
However, provided that the prevailing challenges can’t be addressed with presently obtainable growth finance and standard methods of doing issues, now could be the time for the nation to maximally exploit alternatives to profit from progressive local weather finance and sustainability options.
There have to be a shift in coverage mindset in the direction of built-in approaches that concurrently handle two or extra points associated to livelihoods, employment technology, human capital growth, public well being, environmental safety, gender equality, meals safety, and vitality entry.
One easy instance is photo voltaic vitality interventions that immediately hyperlink with improved agro-processing operations, potable water sources, well being care supply, and Web connectivity for secondary faculties in focused districts.
Much more progressive and impressive nature-positive examples of built-in sustainable growth options shall be highlighted, mentioned, and promoted at COP27.
As the highest UN chief in Sierra Leone, a key a part of my function has been to deliver collectively a various set of stakeholders together with the nationwide authorities, worldwide organizations and companions from throughout civil society to advance dialogue on local weather motion and map out the nation’s shared objectives forward COP27.
Earlier final month, I convened a Local weather Motion Dialogue along with the Authorities of Sierra Leone, the UK Excessive Fee and the European Union to strengthen the participation and improve the coordination of Sierra Leone’s high-level delegation to COP27.
This Dialogue was born out of discussions I had with the British Authorities – who held the Presidency of the earlier UN Local weather Convention- COP26 in Glasgow final 12 months.
Constructing on the momentum from Glasgow, I carried on these discussions with the British Authorities and European Union this 12 months to develop a various program of audio system for the Local weather Motion Dialogue, which highlighted key priorities and potential actions for the non-public sector, NGOs, growth companions, and authorities.
By convening these high authorities in Sierra Leone collectively, this Dialogue helped focus efforts on the concrete methods Sierra Leone may leverage its spectacular pure property (together with forests, agricultural property, water sources, biodiversity, and photo voltaic endowment) to generate entry to local weather finance and advance nature-based options for driving its financial restoration and long-term growth plan.
The Dialogue additionally offered an necessary platform for stakeholders to debate how Sierra Leone may benefit extra from world local weather funds. Forward of this engagement, my staff on the Resident Coordinator’s Workplace ready a Local weather Motion Partnerships Temporary that was offered to all attendees.
It was clear from these open discussions and constructive exchanges that Sierra Leone’s wealthy pure sources may very well be higher used to leverage the finance and applied sciences the nation wants for inclusive, inexperienced, and sustainable financial development, quite than exporting key sources cheaply as major merchandise.
Discussions at the moment are underway between the three internet hosting growth partners- the UN, UK, and EU- to plan follow-up occasions which delve deeper into particular areas of Sierra Leone’s local weather commitments.
It’s our hope that Sierra Leone’s participation in COP27 (which concludes November 18) will assist to fast-track implementation of the essential subsequent steps agreed on the Dialogue associated to local weather finance fashions, and immediate the fast scaling up of ongoing climate-smart tasks across the nation.
This consists of forest conservation, photo voltaic and hydro vitality technology and distribution, fisheries and coastal administration, and agriculture and agro-processing. It also needs to strengthen dedication to ship on the promise the nation has made to finish deforestation by 2030.
As with the remainder of the world, local weather change is affecting each side of the Sierra Leonean financial system and society. COP27 will subsequently additionally serve to underline for everybody the truth that pressing local weather motion just isn’t the duty of presidency alone.
So, we encourage delegates to the Convention, not solely from authorities, but additionally from civil society organizations, the non-public sector, mass media, worldwide growth companies, and better academic establishments, to return to the nation with renewed dedication and ambition to affix palms to pursue pressing local weather actions and have interaction totally on local weather finance.
Solely on this manner, can the nation really handle the local weather disaster in a way that safeguards nationwide environmental sources, builds resilience to climate-related shocks, and advances sustainable growth that leaves nobody behind.
Babatunde A. Ahonsi is UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone.
Supply: UN Sustainable Improvement Group
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