ActionAid tells youths to take up campaign for climate justice

Worried by the rising impact of climate change on developing nations, ActionAid Nigeria has called on the youths to be at the fore front of climate justice.

Action Aid Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, while speaking at Global Week of Climate Action Festival held in Abuja yesterday, stressed the need for the youths to owning the campaign for climate justice would further bring more people on board.

He said, “The way we are going, our environment will pay the price and if the environment keep degrading, and the younger generation do not shout to stop the global emission, in 20-40years time, the world will become more difficult, food become more expensive, the environment becomes unfriendlier, with more impact on the youths and generations to come, hence the the time to shout is now.”

According to him, Africa faces impact of climate change despite contributing 2percent of the global green house emission but suffers 60percent of the effect of global warming, thereby heading to flooding, desertification among others.

Mamedu said, “In Nairobi, Kenya climate change movement is owned by the community, the young persons, despite the presence of civil societies , I look forward to a time when young person drive the agenda as ActionAid will always be behind to support them ”

He stressed the need for a community-led movement that will hold government accountable saying it is the responsibility of civil societies to ensure that the campaign is successful.

“We want a community whereby the citizens are calling for climate justice saying with projections that the environment will be worse off in the next 20-40years, the youths must take up the campaign to hold world leaders accountable.”

“The United Nations must be fair in their role and hold developing countries must be held accountable for the their actions we demand more from countries in the global north who has contributed more to global emission, that has led to the climate imbalance the world is currently facing”

The Country Director explained that the Fund our Future campaign is targeted towards discouraging funding of fossil fuels and industrial agriculture and encouraging banks to fund efforts to enhance clean environment

Activities done to create awareness on the global week of climate change included Webinar, hiking, painting, media appearance and then then youth festival.