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As Ghana wraps up its participation in the 28th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as COP28, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, MP, has underscored the imperative for global leaders to take resolute, urgent, and pivotal actions to address the consequences of climate change.
Speaking before a gathering of both local and international press on Saturday, December 9, 2023, the Lands Minister emphasized the crucial necessity for leaders to showcase their dedication to combating climate change by translating the agreements, promises, and resolutions made at COP28, hosted by the UAE, into tangible actions.
Jinapor cautioned about the destructive impacts of climate change already affecting the world and warned of the potential for catastrophic consequences if global leaders fail to substantiate their commitments with concrete actions.
“The world is witnessing the relentless and devastating impacts of climate change. We cannot ignore the dire consequences we have experienced, the tragedies that have befallen us, and the challenges that lie ahead. We have seen seasons of droughts, woes of intense flooding, prolonged hunger, and the emergence of diseases, including the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. These are just a few among the myriad of challenges we face as a result of climate change,” he expressed.
He lamented that despite two years having passed since the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change adopted in 2015, the world appears to be regressing in addressing the climate change crisis and its impacts.
“At COP 21 in Paris, on December 12, 2015, Parties to the UNFCCC reached a landmark agreement to combat climate change by pursuing efforts to limit global temperature increases as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Eight years down the line, we continue to grapple with the devastating effects of climate change,” he noted.
Jinapor stressed the indispensable role of nature in achieving the 1.5-degree benchmark for limiting the effects of climate change, citing reports from reputable organizations such as the United Nations Environmental Programme, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Food and Agricultural Organization, and other renowned scientists.
He reiterated the government of Ghana’s commitment to a forest and nature-based approach, which has been globally recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a significant contributor of nature-based solutions to help attain the 1.5 degrees target under the Paris Agreement.
Jinapor urged global superpowers to allocate funds for the execution of nature-based solutions, emphasizing the need to scale up such solutions to protect and restore forests to achieve a 1.5 degrees Celsius world. He concluded with a quote by renowned primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall, emphasizing the need to reverse the trend of deforestation and take decisive action against climate change.
Source:Omanghana.com
