Cameroonian Members of Parliament, MPs, have pledged their commitment to advocate and persuade governments, public institutions and corporations to take more decisive climate actions to shift from fossil fuels and accelerate the development of renewable and clean energy systems.
The climate-concerned lawmakers took the commitment during a hybrid conference in Yaounde yesterday.
The confab was organised by the Parliamentarians Call for Fossil Fuel Free Future, a global initiative to persuade world leaders to curb climate change effects. It was followed by lawmakers from across the world via videoconferencing.
In his welcome address, Hon Njume Peter Ambang lamented the adverse effects of climate change citing recent cases of floods, landslides in the country, added to rising sea level which is wreaking havoc and destroying livelihoods and ecosystems.
He lauded efforts made through increased global advocacy from parliamentarians for government, public and corporate institutions to scale up commitments and actions aimed at mitigating causes of climate crisis but unfortunately regretted that climate crisis effects are more on women and youth who constitute the vital force of the society.
Hon Njume said it is on this that they as representatives of the people are committed to advocating for decisive actions to protect citizens.
“Today, we are here to specifically add our voices and signatures with other parliamentarians in the world who are concern about the hazards of climate change to persuade government and public and corporate institutions to take more decisive climate action particularly in accelerating the development of renewable and clean energy systems and to reduce the use of fossil fuel which are the main cause of climate change,” Hon Njume pledged on behalf of his peers.
He added: “We the elected representatives have a duty to act promptly in order to protect the rights of women, young people and of course the marginalised in the various communities, who have nothing to do but to face the consequences of climate change”.
Hon Njume said through the confab, they are starting a campaign to enable lawmakers broaden and deepen their involvement in activities to “advocate rapid, just and equitable transition from fossil fuel production to use of renewable energy systems in line with the Paris Climate Agreement goal of keeping temperature rise below 1.5C”.
The MP also reiterated their commitment to hold industrialised countries whose activities contribute to climate change effects.
“…it is very important for us to fight hard to see that the industrialised countries are held responsible for their actions and inactions responsible for climate change. The polluters must be held responsible to pay their fair share,” Njume said, noting that the harvesting of timber from the continent worsens the climate situation than the cutting down of trees by farmers for agriculture.
Expert calls for collaboration
Speaking via videoconference during the confab, the Africa Regional Coordinator of the Parliamentarians Call for Fossil Fuel Free Future, Buba Khan, said climate change impacts such as erratic rainfall patterns, drought, floods, rising sea level and wildfires are heating up the planet, causing havoc and destroying lives, livelihoods and ecosystems.
He said the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, identifies fossil fuel as dominant cause of climate change and warns that fossil fuel emissions must be halved within 11 years if global warming is to be limited at pre-industrial levels.
He revealed that in 2018, 89% of global C02 emissions came from fossil fuel and industry with coal alone responsible for 0.3% increase in global average temperatures making it the largest source of global warming.
Buba revealed that climate change has disproportionate impacts on women, young people and other marginalised groups and is rolling back their rights, hitting vulnerable communities harder and more often, causing crop losses, loss of livelihoods, displacement and forced migration.
Buba said despite devastating and frequent impacts of climate disasters, polluters are not paying their fair share and helping to curtail the situation.
“Our contribution to climate change compared to others are very minimal. So this is why we feel that we need to hold world leaders to account, hold polluters accountable to pay their fair share,” Khan said.
He added: “…the parliamentarian call initiative is envisioned as a catalyst for scaling up commitments and actions of governments and even public and corporations at the national, regional and global levels and enhancing international cooperation and collaboration”.
Buba urged Cameroonian MPs to join the voices of their colleagues the world over to fight climate change and reduction of fossil fuel by forcing governments to translate their talks to palpable actions and collaborate at regional levels to form network and alliance to be able to speak in one voice to move up with the agenda to better push the agenda during next climate conference billed for Egypt.
Enter confab host
Welcoming MPs, the conference host and partner of the organisers, Tcharbuahbokengo Nfinn, harped on the challenges of climate change and the impacts, noting that the confab is an opportunity for Cameroonian MPs to join their peers across the globe to move ahead in fighting to mitigate climate changes effects.
He underscored the need for collaboration in reducing C02 and other greenhouse gas emissions and need to step up sensitisation of other lawmakers to join the initiative.
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