The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources on Thursday launched the Pre-COP 28 Conference at the Kempiski Gold Coast Hotel.
The event, held in preparation for the 28th session of the Conference of Parties on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai, focused on evaluating progress, adapting to challenges, and updating contributions outlined in the Landmark Paris Agreement.
Addressing the 28th session of the Conference of Parties on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in Dubai, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Samuel A. Jinapor, highlighted the urgency of the climate crisis and the unique opportunity the conference presents.
“This year’s conference is unique, as important that it’s importance cannot be overemphasized. Article 14 of the landmark Paris Agreement presents a unique opportunity for us to review the effectiveness of adaptation and mitigation measures, climate finance, and our consciousness.”
“Regrettably, this conference comes at a time when the climate crisis gets worse, when we are told that we are gradually moving from global warming to Blue by boiling, and the consequences are not, particularly when I read economies, such as ours.”
“The first global stocktake Climate Change Conference of 28 cannot be business as usual. It must deliver concrete and pragmatic efforts to achieving the targets in the Paris Agreement of reducing global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre industrial levels and must be a wake up call to deliver previous commitments towards planning action,” he noted,” he said.
According to the Minister, Ghana in the past few months has witnessed firsthand, the impact of climate change on the lives and livelihoods of people, including, flooding, harsh weather conditions and outbreaks affecting food cultivation, and local community livelihoods.
“Clearly, the world is not doing enough to combat this crisis. But we as the ministry of lands and natural resources, are encouraged by the fact that forests and other nature based solutions can deliver up to a 10% of global climate solutions. And given that 50% of our national greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to agriculture, forestry, and land use activities, we are confident that we can contribute to move our efforts at a halt in climate change,” he added.
According to the World Bank, climate change could push more than 132 million people into poverty by 2030, undoing decades of developmental progress.
The Second lady of the republic, Samira Bawumia, also stressed on the adverse impact of climate and it’s disproportionate effects on women and children in Africa and the need to include them in the decision-making process of climate policies.
“Tonight, we are not just here to discuss climate change, but to address an existential crisis that disproportionately affects household. We are running out of time, the world is experiencing adverse impacts of climate change, extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and disrupted ecosystems remind us of the stock challenges we face.
“In Sub-Saharan Africa, our situation is challenging. The region is expected to face significant drops in agricultural productivity, risking food security for people in our mostly farming economies. In Ghana, we are feeling the effects of climate change as our coastal communities erode rapidly. Our erosion rates are among the highest in West Africa, with some areas losing up to two meters of land each year. This means that for those of us living along the coast, we witness communities disappearing in real-time. This not only displaces people but also endangers our socio-economic stability,’ she said.
During her speech, she articulated her passion for the well-being of women and children, who are most vulnerable to climate change impacts like droughts, floods, and displacement.
“I am passionate about the well-being of women and children, who are most vulnerable to the adverse impact of climate change. They face limited access to resources and decision-making. To address these challenges, it is crucial to involve them in designing, implementing, and evaluating climate policies at all levels.”
In anticipation of the upcoming 28th session of the Conference of Parties on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Minister expressed confidence in the Ministry’s role, citing nature-based solutions contributing up to 10% of global climate solutions.
“We are confident that we can contribute to move our efforts at a halt in climate change. That is why as excessive costs, we strive to play a big role in forest and nature, the solution to climate change. Through initiatives such as lowering emissions mass-related forest violence relief coalition, the cocoa and forests initiative, the voluntary carbon market integrity initiative, PCMI, and the government Plus Program.
“The ministry will hold high-level events on the team books as they relate to the forest in nature, the findings towards wealth and flight increase social inclusion. We are proud and happy to announce that this year, we are partnering with the Africa women and children conference secretaries after works of activities.”
The 28th session of the Conference of Parties, involving eight UN Framework Convention on Climate Change components, commences next week in Dubai.
President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as the elected representative, will lead a delegation to actively participate in this significant conference.
By Abigail Ibrahim
