- Alfred Fornah
NEXT GOVERNMENT URGED TO BE BOLD ON ENVIRONMENTAL & CLIMATE ACTION!
Today, the Society for Climate Change Communications hosted a one day seminar, with environmental champions from the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance and Young African Leaders Initiative, at the Africell American Corner urging political parties to put the environment and climate above party politics and commit to environmental and climate action. Below are my opening remarks to today's seminar:
"I’d like to welcome you all to this event taking place to maintain the momentum from December’s event held by Women’s Network for Environmental Sustainability and to make sure environmental and climate action and the sustainable development goals are at the heart of the next government’s agenda – whoever forms that government - because these are matters that must be above party politics - they affect all of our citizen’s and their future.
Our nation faces environmental crisis on many fronts – from plastics littering our streets and despoiling beaches - to the ticking health time-bomb Freetown citizens face breathing in a combination of toxic fumes from Bomeh, burning tyres and vehicles noxious exhausts.
Rainy season floods increasing in frequency and intensity – deforestation in the Western area and upline - commercial overfishing - sand-mining – wetlands in danger and an agricultural sector that used to export to the world and which now imports rice and uses less than 2% tractors.
The national tragedy in August last year of the mudslide was a wake up call for us all – Sugar Loaf weakened by unplanned building, deforestation and hill mining fell and so many lives were lost because Sierra Leone experienced 3 times our usual rainfall in July and August. More extreme weather will continue to impact our poorest citizens as Sierra Leone is the third most vulnerable country to dangerous climate impacts.
Too many of our citizen’s still do not have access to clean water or electricity and what should be a booming sector - eco-tourism - is threatened because of building in our protected forests - the tidal wave of plastics washing up on our shores and sand-mining threatening our 60 miles of beautiful coastline and unique eco-system.
Our local fishermen and fishing stocks are suffering because of trawlers encroaching on their fishing areas.But the many challenges we face also offer us many opportunities - for green growth - for the creation of 1000’s of green jobs, jobs protecting and cleaning up our environment.
And many of the solutions to our problems can be seen already working in other African nations – from electric transit systems in Ethiopia to EBAFOSA - the youth led agricultural revolution which in many nations from Cameroon to Kenya is seen as the mechanism to deliver many of the SDGs in a systematic way.
So we call on all parties to meet these challenges head on. To be bold. To make bold pledges and propose bold programmes to feed our people - to clean up Freetown sustainably - to protect our fisheries and forests and local livelihoods and to pursue a green growth agenda and create green jobs for our youth and our future.
