Why Climate Emergency Is Important For Africa?
Climate Change is a time bomb — the time to take action is now — we need to join hands together and demand for climate emergency.
Climate change is a human rights issue not only because its devastating impacts affect the enjoyment of human rights, but also because it is a man-made phenomenon which can be mitigated by governments. — Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International
Below are the reasons why we should demand for climate emergency across the globe.
Because we all deserve equal protection.
We are all born with fundamental human rights, yet these rights are under grave threat from climate change. While climate change threatens all of our lives in some way or other, people who experience discrimination are among those likely to be the worst affected. We are all equally deserving of protection from this universal threat.
Because there is nothing to lose from acting, and everything to gain.
Fighting climate change gives us a chance to put the wellbeing of people first by ensuring a right to a healthy environment. This will give us an opportunity to enhance human rights, for example by enabling more people to access cleaner and cheaper energy resources and create job opportunities in new sectors.
Because we have the knowledge, power, and ability to stop climate change.
Many people are already working on creative, inspiring and innovative solutions to address climate change. From citizens to companies to cities, there are people all over the world actively working on policies and campaigns and solutions that will protect people and the planet. Indigenous peoples and minority communities have for centuries developed sustainable ways of living with the environments that they call home. We can learn from them and, with their consent, benefit from their know-how to inform our own efforts to find a different way of interacting with our planet.
We demand all government should declare climate emergency across the globe and starting doing something meaningful to stop climate change.
1. Do everything they can to help stop the global temperature rising by more than 1.5°C.
2. Reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 at the latest. Richer countries should do this faster. By 2030, global emissions must be half as much as they were in 2010.
3. Stop using fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) as quickly as possible.
4. Make sure that climate action is done in a way that does not violate anyone’s human rights, and reduces rather than increases inequality
5. Make sure everyone, in particular those affected by climate change or the transition to a fossil-free economy, are properly informed about what is happening and is able to participate in decisions about their futures.
6. Work together to fairly share the burden of climate change — richer countries must help others.
Reference: amnesty.org
By Olumide Idowu you can reach him on twitter — @OlumideIDOWU
