Green groups of the African Climate Week call for less discussion and more action on the low-carbon transition

Green groups from Ghana and other African countries have joined the United Nations Climate Week, calling on government officials in Accra to take swift and ambitious action on climate change.

The conference is one of three regional climate workshops to accelerate the implementation of national climate plans – nationally determined contributions – and more ambitious plans for the extraordinary summit convened by the Secretary-General the United Nations, António Guterres, in September, and the next United Nations Conference on Climate Change, COP25, will be held in Chile in December.

Despite the urgency of the climate crisis, made all the more obvious by the damage caused by Cyclone Idai in southern Africa – which has claimed the lives of hundreds of people and affected some 1.5 million people Across the region – Leaders at Africa Climate Week are missing by taking concrete steps forward to respond to calls for ambitious climate action from climate scientists, citizens and activists.

"The impacts of global warming are felt daily by millions of Africans across the continent, communities around the world fear losing their land and homes each season, exceptional floods, exceptional floods, longer storms and more and longer droughts and Cyclone Idai is just another terrible manifestation of what the expansion of fossil fuels means to African peoples, "said Landry Ninteretse, head of the Africa team at 350.org.

"The proliferation of fossil fuel projects is detrimental to health, climate and ecosystems, but the solutions to this crisis are also well-known, including stopping mining and quarrying. coal mining in the very short term and stopping funding for new coal infrastructure., while accelerating investment in renewable energy. "

Ghana Reducing our carbon (GROC), 350 Africa and other civil society groups have spoken to leaders convened at the African Climate Week to demand plans for a rapid elimination of fossil fuels and energy. 39, an equally fast and fair transition to renewable energy sources, from Ghana its commitment to produce 10% of its primary energy from renewable sources by 2030, already carried over to the original deadline of 2020.

"Over the past four days, we have heard from African government officials just telling us that ambitious action on climate change is needed. They will return tomorrow to their capitals and continue to approve plans for new fossil fuel infrastructure, which will only benefit a handful of large corporations, some of them foreign, in Africa to re-exploit its resources and eliminate the pollution that exists. results. to the most vulnerable and those who do not have a say in these decisions, "said Portia Adu Mensah, coordinator of 350 – Ghana Reducing Our Carbon (GROC).

"Our continent needs a Copernican revolution, putting people's lives ahead of profits and realizing development by tackling the climate crisis: a rapid deployment of renewable energy sources and the Creating a truly green economy will help lift people out of poverty, meet our energy needs, and help prevent the climate from changing even more drastically and deadly. Ghana can and must lead the way by setting in motion plans to reach its target of 10% primary energy produced from renewable energy sources by 2030 ".

Already considered by the UN as the worst cyclone of all time in southern Africa, Idai has ravaged villages and cities of three countries in recent days, making more than 1,000 lives and leaving a trail of destruction.

With winds of 195 km / h and heavy rains, Idai has already affected millions of people, causing floods, landslides and crops and roads in ruins.