ECOWAS meets on climate change

Daily Graphic (spread)Fri. March 19/10

Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
MINISTERS of Environment from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met in Accra yesterday to adopt and validate a sub-regional programme of action to reduce the negative impact of climate change in the sub-region.
Dubbed, “Programme of Strategic Guidelines on Reduction of Vulnerability to Climate Change in West Africa”, the document is intended to serve as guidelines for countries within the sub-region.
The document was drafted during a meeting of technical committee of experts in agriculture, environment and water resources in conformity with the decision of the Summit of Heads of State and Government held in February in Abuja.
Addressing the meeting, the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Ms Sherry Ayittey, said climate change was real and its impact was devastating.
She said climate change was affecting the major drivers of the country’s economy including agriculture, industry and infrastructure.
Ms Ayittey said climate change impacts had the greatest potential to undermine significant components of existing economic and social infrastructure, adding that current changes already threatened to undermine progress made towards the achievement of development goals.
She said adapting to climate change and building climate-resilient economies were a must and there was the urgent need to transition towards a sub-regional green low-emissions economies now.
For his part, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources of the ECOWAS Parliament, Mr Ousseini Salifou said the issue of climate change was of great concern due to its effects on human life, animals and plants.
He said climate change was one of the worst impediments to the promotion of sustainable development, achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and poverty reduction.
According to him, experts had predicted that the West African sub-region would be one of the worst affected by climate change and might probably have the most negative impact.
He said a clear reduction of vulnerability to climate change for the natural, economic and social systems in the sub-region would necessitate production of scientific knowledge and technical innovations, as well as reforms of current policies and habits.
Mr Salifou called for the voluntary adoption of a management system marked by great anticipation capacity in order to significantly achieve effective reduction of vulnerability of the natural systems.