As the COP29 Climate Change Conference was ongoing in previous week, we sat to discuss the present state of the climate, the mitigation and adaptation cause, how far it has been achieved within the stipulated time-fame and how realistic the actualization of the net zero goal was with prevailing realities of a changed world leadership, growing hardware and software demands and consumption, and inequalities with climate finance and associated capacity in leading the effort in stemming emissions, global warming and climate change.
We assessed this from the lens of Africa and the relevance to the continent and its food systems.
It was realized that the continent generated/generates one of the lowest GHGs emissions but is one of the most affected and most at risk of climate change effects but still receives the lowest share of global climate finance which appears unfair and impedes her adaptive and response measures to climate change and could have worsened human development indexes already burdened by depressing hunger, poverty and inequality stats and has an agriculture-dependent economy usually rain-fed which climate change could disrupt exacerbating already poor living conditions.
Prof. Fadairo helped to understand the reasons for such climate finance gap citing fiduciary standards, adequate technical capacity and effective local governance in properly utilizing disbursed funds for targeted goals.
He emphasized that while the beneficiary countries could be lacking in those departments but that there are instances of structural factors which obstruct finance access for instance, giving grants as loans, gap between fund allocated and fund actually disbursed, and incorporating consultants from the global north countries as part of finance conditions with the position that the global south countries is lacking of required professionals.
While he acknowledged many of the lapses in the global south countries, in the case of Nigeria, and advised for investment in capacity building, appropriate governance and utilization of received funds, he canvassed for transparency, fairness and honest commitment with the climate cause.
He argued that conditions albeit standards must be adhered should take into considerations separate local conditions and realities of respective countries and advocated the need for focus on humanity of the cause than politicization.
We discussed how issues as these have bred breeding division and loss of faith in not only the unified effort in combatting climate change but also the idea of climate change itself, being termed a hoax -means for rich, developed and industrialized global north countries to have developing and struggling global south subservient economically wise.
In tandem the climate change skepticism, we also assessed the role misinformation, propaganda, unnecessary hysteria and fear mongering disseminated by the media, researchers and public figures, and called for responsible and balanced reporting and helping the public to understand climate change, their role in causing it and in mitigating it and helping to establish adaptive responses. We this informed on the need for people's participation.
Prof. Fadairo highlighted significant additions the COP29 should include to its governance, operation and execution structure to ensure fairness, participation, productivity and effectiveness. He stressed the need for in-project and short-term appraisal from time to time to assess the reality of the climate cause's goals being achieved within targeted time and advised for adjustment of time and strategies if necessary.
Discussing adaptive and mitigation strategies to climate change in Africa, he called for proactiveness with government responses to climate change effects and enjoining partnership and participation and instituting domestic revolving climate funds and the importance of investing in researches, researchers, supporting them on abroad mission to learn and help locally operationalize global knowledge and best practices about climate change. He also offered recommendation for Nigerian farmers in cushioning against the effect of climate change, informing sustainable and resilient practices, adopting multiple income generating activities.
He called for government support for farmers, assisting with inputs, emergency funds, weather forecast, risk advisory, insurance against decimations of climate change. He lastly informed fellow academia and researches to deepen knowledge and sacrifice for knowledge embarking on knowledge acquisition quests beyond the shores to better self and the nation.