UNESCO urges Africa to own Climate Change war
Baboki Kayawe | Wednesday February 3, 2016 16:52
UNESCO senior programmes specialist, Peggy Oti-Boateng told a regional workshop on ‘biosphere reserves’ yesterday that Africa should look within for climate change solutions, instead of always looking elsewhere. Oti-Boateng said this approach would foster sustainable development in the midst of trying times.
In addition, she said home-made solutions mean investment of resources in research to uncover the problem, hence comprehensive and customised interventions can be drawn.
“Now more than ever before, we need to mobilise science for development. Our children need to do science and technology.” Oti-Boateng added: “Solutions can only be realised when Africa promotes Science, Mathematics as well as Information and Technology studies among its youth. Presently many of our youth opt for business programmes and others, but what we need the most is science in order to solve these problems”.
Though Africa has done well in terms of terrestrial conservation, not much has been done with marine and coastal systems, noted Oti-Boateng. She stressed that regardless of geographical positioning, countries must understand how these (marine and coastal) systems work as climate change was a manifestation of the state of the global ecosystem.
“The biggest question of our time is how the world can adequately feed nine billion people by 2050 in a manner that advances economic development as well as environmental sustainability,” she said.
The UN agency’s Man and Biosphere Programme (MAP) could help Africa realise equilibrium between developmental undertakings and environmental needs, according to Oti-Boateng.
The programme develops the basis within the natural and social sciences for the rational and sustainable use and conservation of the resources of the biosphere and for the improvement of the overall relationship between people and their environment.
Oti-Boateng stressed that communities, youth, policy makers and all stakeholders in climate change and mitigation must therefore be empowered.
The four-day regional meeting, which opened in the capital yesterday and is due to end Thursday, is bringing together environmental stakeholders to discuss short experiences from Southern Africa and beyond.