Surging 1,000% Impact Unveiled in Latest Climate Change Strategy
Prominent advocacy groups like Friends of the Earth Africa, Environmental Rights Action, and Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) have vigorously pushed for the African governments to reject the use of geoengineering technology in any form as part of their efforts to protect local communities from the negative effects of climate change.
Maimoni Mariere Ubrei-Joe, ERA/FoEN and Friends of the Earth Africa representative and ardent climate justice campaigner, delivered a forceful call during the COP28 summit.
She highlighted that one of the flawed propositions hindering a smoother transition towards sustainable energy solutions is the concept of climate geoengineering.
Geoengineering, involving large-scale manipulations of the earth’s atmosphere, soils, and oceans to temporarily mitigate the effects of climate change, encompasses various methods.
Among these, Solar Radiation Management (SRM) stands out, aiming to alter the amount of sunlight reaching the earth’s surface, potentially triggering climate fluctuations across diverse regions.
Ubrei-Joe emphasized the precarious implications for local communities reliant on stable climates for farming, water resources, and livelihoods. Changes in precipitation patterns, extreme temperatures, and agricultural outputs could disrupt their lives significantly.
Interventions like altering cloud formations or introducing light-reflecting particles into the sky might unexpectedly impact nearby ecosystems.
These alterations in temperature and sunlight levels pose threats to ecosystems, potentially leading to shifts in migration patterns, species distribution, and even the extinction of certain species.
Furthermore, Ubrei-Joe cautioned against carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods, encompassing approaches like afforestation or artificial forest creation.
She highlighted the risks of displacing indigenous communities from their ancestral lands and disrupting their traditional ways of land use and sustenance.
She emphasized possible environmental risks, mentioning in particular the dangers of ocean fertilization.
She cited the possibility that fish populations could be impacted, coastal communities and local fishing industries could face difficulties, and marine ecosystems could be altered by artificially promoting plankton growth through iron pellets.
Adding weight to these concerns, Chima Williams, the Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, underscored the potential human rights violations inherent in the pursuit of geoengineering. He stressed the imperative of reducing greenhouse gas emissions as the most reliable approach to safeguarding the planet from the perils of climate change.
In unity, experts advocate for a resolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the economy, asserting this as the most secure path towards protecting the planet from the looming threats of climate change.
Simultaneously, efforts are underway where experts are devising comprehensive strategies to tackle the dual challenges of climate change and sustainable development.
Governments should take the following crucial steps to effectively address these crises, boosting the impact of policies and initiatives, according to a recent ground-breaking report by an impartial panel of experts operating under UN auspices.
In parallel, the fervor for sustainability is evident on various fronts. Notably, three schools from Sub-Saharan Africa, including USAP Community School in Zimbabwe, Lighthouse Primary and Secondary School in Mauritius, and Gwani Ibrahim Dan Hajja Academy in Nigeria, are among the finalists competing for the $100,000 Prize for Zayed Sustainability.
These schools are engaged in project-based endeavors centered on sustainability, underscoring a growing awareness and commitment among the youth towards addressing global challenges.
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