We need proactive action to protect humanity - Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State Governor, Babjide Sanwo-olu on Tuesday called for proactive action that will protect humanity against the effect of climate change.

He spoke at opening session of the 8th Lagos International Climate Change summit with the topic: “Adapting Health, Energy, Agriculture, Transportation and Waste Infrastructure to the Long –Term Impacts of Climate Change in Lagos”.

Sanwo-olu, who launched the state’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) at the event, called for action to mitigate the impact of climate change, which he said is evident for all to see.

According to him, the world is at a point where climate change is not a territorial threat but a common phenomenon, playing out in our eyes.

The governor noted that the year 2020 was adjudged the worst in the issue of climate change because the world experienced extreme climate event.

According to him, it is imperative to address the pertinent issues of climate change because of its pivotal impact on the key economic area of agriculture, health and sustainable socio economic growth.

He reiterated that the world faces an environmental emergency, which leads to depravation of food, water and other necessary resources needed for human kind to survive.

The onus, he said is on all of us to collaborate with everything necessary to save our environment and mitigate the adverse effect of climate change as well as make the climate more livable for all of us.

The governor further promised that his government would be accommodating whatever will come out from the two-day summit to mitigate the effect of climate change in Lagos because of its vulnerability.

Also, the Minister of Environment, Mr. Mohammad Abubakar noted the danger of climate change and its attendant consequences, stressing that its adverse impact is on the rise as well as   threatening human existence globally.

The minister, who was represented by Federal Controller for Environment, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Agboola, said the federal government has through the Federal Ministry of Environment has joined the global communities in tackling the challenges of climate as well as adapting green house solutions and adaptations.

He noted that the president recently approved the revised national climate change policy and the national climate change programmes for Nigeria to capture ongoing input not reflected in the previous policy.

The programme action plan, he said, is expected to run through 2021-2030.

He implored Nigerians to do everything possible to use the carbon footprints and adopt sustainable for the sake of generation yet unborn.

Earlier,  Lagos Commissioner of the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello said the Lagos International Climate Change Summit since inception in 2009 has become a melting pot for researchers, investors, academicians and stakeholders in the environment and economic sectors where notable decisions and actions are taken

With the return to the summit again, he said, the state is reviewing an adaptation of some previous themes as a kick off in view of their importance to the Government’s THEMES’ agenda.

He noted that climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time.

According to him, receding forests, biodiversity loss, changing rainfall patterns, drought, increase in dust storms, increase in temperatures and rising seal levels are grossly increasing existing economic, political an humanitarian stresses, as well as affecting human development in all parts of the world.