The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has urged the youth to be actively involved in efforts by the government to address climate change effect on the country.
He said the Green Ghana Project presented a unique opportunity for them and other members of the society to contribute to the climate change fight by planting trees, and nurturing them to maturity.
“Climate actions are a whole society’s concern. The role of governments – national and local – is vital, but we must play our part to achieve the necessary impact,” he said.
MrJinapor was speaking at the Youth Climate Change Summit held in Accra on Friday on the theme “Confronting our individual and collective roles in addressing the climate change crisis.”
Organised by the Young Professionals and Youth Coalition (YPYC), it afforded various stakeholders the opportunity to engage and empower student leaders, young community leaders, young professionals to unleash their innovative energies towards addressing climate change in their communities.
MrJinapor said the climate crisis was reaching a tipping point as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, recently, warned that the world was on the verge of exceeding the one point five degrees Celsius (1.5oC) target.
In Ghana, he said,the Ghana Meteorological Agency reported that in the last three decades alone, the country had become warmer by one degree Celsius,manifesting in changing rain patterns, rising sea temperatures, rising sea levels, flooding in some parts, and droughts in other parts, among others.
This, he said, was negatively impacting livelihoods, food and water security, and economic development and without tackling climate change, Ghana could not eradicate poverty, particularly, in rural communities.
MrJinapor said measures put in place by the government included an afforestation programme which would this year see the planting of at least 20, 0000 trees across the country on June 10, 2022, the Green Ghana Day.
He said other programmes were the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project (GSLERP) aimed at ensuring emission reductions and a purchase agreement with Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest Finance (LEAF) Coalition.
He said the government was committed to the Joint Framework of Action, signed with the government of Cote d’Ivoire, and 36 Cocoa and Chocolate producing companies to halt deforestation and forest degradation due to cocoa production.
Founder and President of YPYC, Andy OseiOkrah, urged policy makers, governments financiers of Climate Change agenda to involve the youth and young leaders in the fight.
He said the YPYC, would in the immediate future, build the capacity building and empowerment of the youth on climate solutions, mass public education and awareness creation.
“YPYC has a proposition to join major networks and partnerships across the globe to forcefully drum home the need to reverse anti-productive climatic activities,” he said.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR
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