African summit to tackle climate change opens in Ghana
The 2019 Climate Chance Summit has opened in Ghana’s capital, Accra, hosting hundreds of delegates from around the world.
Under the theme, “Towards the institutionalization of Local Climate Action and Access to Finance,” efforts are being made to engage local governments in new initiatives to tackle climate change.
Already African countries are reportedly at risk of losing about 1.5 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the negative impact of climate change.
The opening of the summit on Wednesday brought together mayors from across the sub-Saharan Africa to discuss issues affecting the climate in their localities.
The Covenant of Mayors for Sub-Sahara Africa (CoM SSA) is hoping to develop and implement sustainable climate and energy actions.
CoM SSA is the regional chapter of the Global Covenant of Mayors, the largest coalition of cities committed to local climate and energy action.
The Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah said “The direct link that we (mayors) have with our citizens and the impact cities can have on people’s daily lives make it one of the most relevant levels of action to fight climate change.”
The summit ends on October 18 with expectations high that local governance officials will share experiences and ideas among themselves in fighting effects of climate change.
Businesses are also hoping to tap into new opportunities that would be created as a result of governmental policies across the continent.
Young entrepreneurs are also developing new tools to help combat the impact of climate change.
Source: Africafeeds.com
