- He also reiterated his call on the global leaders to invest in Africa's developmental and industrialization needs.
- Ruto said there was need for concerted efforts in mobilising resources for both development and climate action.
Image: PCS
President William Ruto has challenged leaders attending the COP28 summit in Dubai to develop clear and actionable climate change roadmaps for implementation.
The approach to this, he said, must be collaborative, inclusive, and anchored in justice.
“The world is watching and what we deliver at COP28 will be a testament to whether we are capable guardians of this planet and competent stewards of its sustainability,” he said.
He said that global leaders have the power, the means, and the responsibility to act.
The meeting, he noted, should be a turning point towards a just and equal world of opportunity safe from the looming threat of a climate disaster.
More than 200 leaders from governments, businesses, NGOs and civil societies are attending the conference which started on November 30 and will end on December 12.
Climate financing and reining in fossil fuels are on top of the agenda.
The head of state also reiterated his call on the global leaders to invest in Africa's developmental and industrialization needs.
He said there was a need for concerted efforts in mobilising resources for both development and climate action.
“This is a call for an integrated approach where economic growth and environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive but are pursued in tandem for the greater global good,” he said.
Ruto noted that failure to invest in the continent’s burgeoning younger generation was no longer a tenable proposition as it was on the cusp of transformative growth.
Turning Africa into a green powerhouse, he argued, is not just essential for the continent, it is also vital for global industrial decarbonization.
He further emphasized on the need for a new global financing pact which he said will ensure that no country is compelled to choose between its development aspirations and necessary climate action.
International funding to help countries adapt to climate change will be hotly debated as developing countries have been demanding more contributions from industrialsed nations.
He regretted that past two decades, only 2 per cent of the three trillion dollars invested globally in renewable energy has reached Africa, despite the continent's vast resource endowment and great need for investment.
According to him, the effect was evident since more than 600 million Africans are deprived of basic energy services needed for a dignified living and access to essential services as healthcare and education.
During COP27, world leaders agreed to set up a Loss and Damage fund to support poorer nations to help manage the negative effects of climate change.