ECOWAS lawmakers urged to step up climate action

The Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Mrs Hadja Memounatou Ibrahima, has called for renewed commitment by lawmakers to tackling the growing impact of climate change on the sub-region.

She said the increasing incidence of flooding, heat waves and rising sea levels required collective action from lawmakers and other stakeholders, stressing that the effects of climate change had moved beyond data and projections to directly affect livelihoods and security.

Mrs Ibrahima made the call at the second ECOWAS Parliamentary Seminar held in Accra yesterday on the theme: “Climate Change as a Driver of Environmental Degradation, Population Displacement and Rising Insecurity in the ECOWAS Region.”

The seminar provided a platform for lawmakers from ECOWAS member states to deliberate on measures to address climate change and adaptation challenges and share best practices across the sub-region.

“Climate disruption can no longer be measured only in degrees, statistics or projections. It is read in land that yields less, in coastlines that retreat, in flooded neighbourhoods, in families losing their livelihoods, and in communities forced to relocate,” Mrs Ibrahima said.

“Behind the climate question lies a profoundly human one: how do we protect the living conditions, dignity and security of our populations when their environment is changing faster than their capacity to adapt to it?” she added.

She said the seminar would enable lawmakers to deepen their understanding of climate change and adaptation issues and consider appropriate responses to the challenges confronting the sub-region.

The Senior Programme Officer, Climate Change and Ozone Directorate of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr Derek Sarfo-Yiadom, underscored the need for sustained funding for climate change adaptation, as well as the enactment and enforcement of laws, particularly those governing flood-prone areas.

He also called for increased financing for early warning systems and urged lawmakers to provide regular reports on climate change to promote accountability.

Dr Sarfo-Yiadom further called for scrutiny of agreements involving the Niger, Senegal, Lake Volta and Lake Chad, particularly dam operating rules and priorities regarding dam spillage.

He bemoaned the inadequate climate change adaptation mechanisms in the sub-region and urged African countries to develop appropriate measures to mitigate the associated risks.

“Adaptation can also create new risks. For example, protection in one place may shift water or erosion risk to another,” he said.

Dr Sarfo-Yiadom urged African countries to consider nature-based approaches in constructing sea defence systems, noting that artificial interventions could shift the impacts of climate change from one area to another.

He said Ghana required $22 billion to enable the country to implement its climate actions by 2030.

He, therefore, urged lawmakers to review climate change priorities and risk areas, link climate change to funded actions, and follow up on climate change agreements as part of the next steps after the seminar.

BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY

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