COP28 UAE: International Organization’s Pinpoint Catastrophe of Leadership in Addressing Climate Justice

Ahead of the conference of the Parties, the international organizations and stakeholders have identified that there is a failure of leadership in climate inequity,

Added that COP28 UAE is another opportunity for world leaders to gather across the world in finding lasting solutions for induced climate change.

The stakeholders made this assertion during the Sensitization Workshop for Journalists on Climate Change Pre-COP28, on Monday in Abuja, Organized by the United Nations Information Center and the World Meteorological Organization.

The stakeholders urged the Nigerian media to be part of the movement in addressing the challenge of climate change, by phasing out the widespread mis-information and dis-information in the society.

In his remarks, the United Nations Resident coordinator, Mr Matthias Schmale said addressing climate change is by focusing on the challenge in the 21st century, “for humanity’s sake, we cannot afford to fail.”

Mr Schmale emphasized that time is not on the human side. “Our blue planet is flashing red. Warning signs are everywhere.”

He further urged the media to provide accurate information about climate change, its causes, and its impact.

The UN Resident coordinator further stressed that Mis- and dis-information are delaying the needed action to ensure a liveable future for the planet.

The coordinator said Nigeria is already witnessing the impacts of climate disasters. Increasing climate variability is causing more intense and untimely rainfall in some regions, while rising temperatures are causing droughts and crop failures in other regions.

“In the North, desertification is causing the loss of arable land in 15 states. In the Middle Belt, gully erosion and flooding are forcing people from their ancestral homes. In the South, seasonal and flash flooding are destroying lives and livelihoods.

“Last year alone in Nigeria, flooding killed at least 662 people, injured 3,174, displaced about 2.5 million, and destroyed 200,000 homes.

“Change’s impacts are being felt today in Nigeria and across many other nations of the Global South. It is a great injustice.

“These plans must be backed with the finance, technology, support and partnerships to make them possible. The UN System in Nigeria is firmly committed to supporting the Government of Nigeria in its climate change efforts. We will continue our close partnership with the Federal Government as we work together to implement the agreed Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework covering the 5 years from 2023 to 2027.

“Outcome 2.2 of the Cooperation Framework states that: By 2027, Nigeria is implementing improved management of climate change risk and building resilience to adapt to its long-term impact through the NDCs, sustainable energy production and consumption, and climate finance,” he said.

Also, in his keynote address, the Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Prof. Petteri Taalas, represented by Mr. Bernard Edward Gomez WMO representative for North, Central and West Africa) commended the press, and further stressed that the high-impact weather, climate and hydrological events such as storms, floods and droughts, are causing most natural disasters.

Prof Petteri Taalas emphasized that the devastating impacts are throughout the world, resulting in injury and loss of life, setting back economic and social development with huge economic losses, displacement of people, destruction of livelihoods and communities.

“It is therefore not surprising that the World Economic Forum in its projection of global risks for the 2023-2033 period, indicated that the top four of the ten most pressing risks that confront humankind, relate to climate change.

“The WMO coordinates a global, end-to-end capability, to deliver worldwide access to a variety of real-time and non-real-time data and information on the state of the Earth’s atmosphere and water resources, without which no country can make forecasts and outlooks of the climate system.

“From decades of measuring, compiling and analyzing the Earth System variables, WMO convened a series of climate conferences that sounded the alarm that human activities were dangerously interfering with the chemical composition of the Earth’s atmosphere, leading to negative impacts on society and the environment.”

Highlighting the role of journalists in combating climate change, the WMO representative said journalists should hold the government accountable for effective reporting.

“At the governance level, journalists can hold governments and institutions accountable on climate commitments and actions. They can scrutinize climate policies and investigate implementation levels.

“At the community level, journalists can empower local communities to understand climate change impacts, develop resilience strategies, and advocate for their needs.

“They can give voice to grassroots initiatives and promote knowledge sharing among communities. At the household level, journalists can provide practical information and guidance to households on how to reduce their carbon footprint and adapt to climate impacts. They can highlight sustainable practices and promote responsible consumption patterns.

“In conclusion, as we navigate the increasingly complex and challenging landscape of climate change, journalism is more critical than ever. It is through the power of storytelling, investigative reporting, and community engagement that journalism can inform, empower, and hold accountable all stakeholders in the fight against climate change.”

Speaking on, the Director General of NiMet, Prof Mansur Bako .M said climate change is a social injustice issue and the major contributors who happen to be the advanced Nations do have more comprehensive adaptive and mitigating measures and will to contribute.

The DG stressed that the third world countries contribute less than 5% of the whole of the emissions, and still they are very much vulnerable to the impacts and effects of this climate change.

“For us over the years, we determined and we have established three local pieces of evidence of climate change and as a result of this the solution to these local changes of climate should also be localized and that is why “I’m very much happy with our partnership with all sectors in agricultural resources and Environment.”

“To produce services that are geared towards mitigating, adapting the challenges of climate change and in the long run. We have materials and other agencies. We come with a heavy load of some of these materials and our products are dynamic and they move very fast.”

The Acting Director of Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA), Lady Florence Wenegieme, said the importance of this program cannot be overemphasized, adding that the conjunction of media and critical stakeholders in addressing climate change disaster and management.

She reiterated that climate Change has come to stay. “We cannot do without the press. They are very critical in reporting situations of climate change.

“I want you to know that recently the emergency management agency inoculated some of the members of the press about 20 million media houses to be part of our disaster Management.”