WAMBOGO: Stop climate crisis while we still can

The inaugural African Climate Summit, 2023, enters its last day in Nairobi today. The core objective of this noble convention is to deliberate on the funding aspect of climate change mitigation among other issues facing Africa.

Africa is yoked under climate crisis, debt crisis, soaring cost of living, poverty and health challenges, among many other problems. Such a platform offers Africa a golden platform to come up with a plan and an accountability framework in an effort to deal with the aforementioned challenges.

Traditional and modern media are replete with devastating impacts of global warming and climate change: drought and famine, floods, drying rivers, wildfires, record temperatures, poverty, diseases, inter alia. 

The climate crisis is threatening the existence and survival of humanity and wildlife disproportionately. The aforementioned impacts have adversely affected humans' way of life. Suffice it to say that humanity and wildlife are teetering on the brink of extinction.

The persistent discourse is what needs to be done urgently and immediately. Africa Climate Summit 2023 is an opportunity for the continent to formulate African solutions to this global crisis.

Prevention is better than cure. It's about 31 years since the world held the maiden climate change convention in Rio, Brazil. There have been numerous meetings on the same since then. This journey is the strongest indication of the world's commitment to dealing with climate change.

In case you are wondering when is the best time for Africa to lead efforts of adapting to and mitigating climate crisis, the answer is, now is the time. Inaction is and would be costly. Multiplication of the effects of climate change and global warming can be averted through genuine and earnest concerted efforts by all global players to formulate short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions to the crisis.

The world converged in Egypt last year to advance the cause. All the outcomes of the meetings must be implemented religiously. There should be efficient monitoring and evaluation of the progress in order to appraise the solutions agreed upon. This summit will bolster Africa's bargaining power in the Conference of the Parties 28 (COP28), which is less than 100 days away.

There has been loss of lives and property as a result of floods, drought and famine, wildfires, shrinking GDP and other occurrences related to the climate crisis. The sanctity of life (human and wildlife) and the immeasurable value of property destroyed is a wake-up call to global citizens – that we cannot sit pretty and watch as nature drives us to extinction. These tragedies provide incisive insights into why Africa and the globe need to put in place pragmatic and inclusive solutions to the climate crisis.

Oftentimes there is blame game and accusations over who is responsible for activities that have led to the climate crisis. There has been an apparent wedge between "perceived polluters" and those who are perceived to bear the brunt of the results of pollution.

To some extent, the global south feels that the global north is responsible for the crisis hence the north should take the lead in financing solutions that have been agreed upon.

Perhaps this argument is premised on the advancement and sophistication of the global north's manufacturing industries and practices that hugely emit carbon dioxide that: greatly deplete the ozone layer, deplete natural resources and release waste water to water bodies that as a result harms aquatic/marine life.

In a world that has become a global village as a result of technology and the movement of people and humanity, it will be missing the point to engage in blame storming. The globe must collectively and genuinely seek and implement solutions that summits like ACS 23 agree upon. The endeavour must be cooperative and not competitive.

Collaboration of political class, economic leaders and social representatives or voices explains the best approach on how to address the unforgiving and unpredictable crisis. Africa is rich in resources. Prudent exploitation of these resources and value-addition practices will immensely contribute to Africa's climate change adaptation and mitigation fund.

The efforts of the aforementioned groups will range from statistics, monitoring and evaluation workshops, funding, leadership and civic education to innovation or invention of alternative energy sources and ways of doing business. All the groups must be deliberate and committed to the success of their concerted efforts.

This summit's theme is 'Driving green growth and climate finance solutions for Africa, the World'. Japanese professor and organisational theorist Kaoru Ishikawa designed the fishbone diagram to aid organisations in managing their business processes better.

The fishbone structure focused on six Ms: manpower, methods, measurements, materials, machinery and mother nature. In search of solutions to preserve mother nature, and adapt to and mitigate climate change and global warming, all players must remain alive to the importance and the role of the other five Ms in the same breadth- politically, economically and socially.

Climate change has a huge impact on every aspect of day-to-day life. The antecedent of this is that human day-to-day practices have a huge impact on climate change. The Nairobi declaration should be implemented fully to promote adaptation and mitigation of the effects of climate change and global warming.

Hospitality manager