Climate change does not affect everyone equally. As the world grapples with the escalating climate crisis, urgent actions are needed from all to prevent catastrophic consequences and ensure justice for those on the frontlines, it is the poor and vulnerable who are the first to suffer and the worst hit echoed by the “Keep Your Promise Campaign “team comprising of partner CSO members speaking to diverse TVs and Radio media platforms across the country.
The various Campaign media engagement in different print, TV and radio media platforms featured in-depth discussions around climate justice, including on early warning systems as an important measure to save lives and protect livelihoods from loss and damage and explore delivering on the promise of climate finance to meet developing countries’ needs and build their resilience.
The various campaign media session helped to raise public awareness and also looked at the climate crisis through a human rights lens and on the belief that by working together we can create a better future for present and future generations.
The “Keep Your Promise Campaign “is a Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) initiative to help galvanize efforts of all non-state actors in pursuing an environment free from corporate violations of environmental rights, devoid of false solutions and to contribute to the Global Stock Take by entrenching greater citizens participation in the GST process. It also supports to Strengthen accountability commitments and action by African states and governments towards implementing climate just development paradigm, including NDCs.
At the conclusion of the Keep Your Promise Launch and Peoples’ Climate Justice March , environmentalists , community members and other stakeholders further gathered for the national panel discussion forum on climate justice .Throughout the Forums, it was widely recognized that climate injustice is faced globally, nationally, and locally. Benita Sagnia , the event coordinator, Director of the admin and programs officer at YVE Gambia , honed in on the stark environmental inequality that exists in the Gambia and internationally. She asserted that countries with the highest emissions have benefitted economically from industrialization. Whilst nations in the global south, who have contributed the least to emissions, are already facing the brutal impacts of climate change. Vulnerability, insecurity, destabilization and increased social and economic inequality caused by climate change, is already triggering mass displacement from vulnerable areas. Benita Sagnia shared with delegates the devastating projection from the Institute for Economics & Peace Ecological Threat Register 2020 report, that by the end of 2050, 1.2 billion people are predicted to have been displaced due to weather events. Delegates were reminded that climate justice is also about peace and security, as the impacts of climate change lay the foundations for other social problems, such as conflict over resources, gendered violence and trafficking, wars and loss of identity.
For his part , the head of communications and environmental education at the National Environment Agency, Alkinky Sanyang, repeated warns by environmentalists and activists that Banjul faces an existential threat from sea level rise as a result of climate change impacts.
Speaking at the forum, the NEA official said unsustainable utilisation of our natural resources, selfish economic and social activities and attitude problems are significant contributors to The Gambia’s climate change woes.
He further explained that , we are bent on destroying the planet to an extent that our whole existence is now questionable. There has been a lot of noise from many quarters that a 1-metre sea level rise will mean our capital city [Banjul] will be doomed. Imagine what will happen with a 2-metre rise and there is no indication that the glaciers that are melting at the North and South poles will stop because of the temperatures. The increased heat being caused by human activities through our cars, our factories, our industries, and our improved lifestyles is causing more mayhem to the environment than good,” he said.
According to him, the National Environment Agency has forged partnerships with schools to create sensitization and awareness raising programs for school children to advance adaptation measures. Mr Sanyang further stated the country has and is still losing trees to selfish economic or social activities.
Other speakers further explained how climate crisis has largely been caused by more industrialized economies, but the most impacted people are the people whose infrastructure is still in development like our country The Gambia. They believed, Africa, a continent with a developing economy endowed with abundant natural resources, stands at a crossroads where strategic financial investments can steer its trajectory towards a prosperous climate resilient future.
In conclusion of the forum, participants generally echoed how The Gambia is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change from increase in temperature, decrease in rainfall, and sea level rise. These they believed affects the country’s key economic sector, such as the agriculture sector, which is dominated by extensive rain-fed agriculture, as well as the tourism sector, calling for more robust action and integration of ambitious action across key economic sectors in national planning and on adapting to climate risks and building resilience into development strategies.
Young Volunteers for the Environment held their 6th Annual General Meeting today (5 August 2017) at SYDO head office in Kanifing. This occasion was graced by the Board, staff, and members of the organization, the media and colleagues to assess the 2016 activities and financial reports of the organization and address the challenges of the organization for a better work-plan and output. Both financial and activity reports were adopted by the General Assembly. in addition to that, recommendations were given by the GA as to the development of the organization in terms of projects planing and implementation, visibility, governance, finance, etc. Congratulations to the whole organization. We are proud of our Board and all of our members.
Change is a process and with the continuous support of the entire team and interested members we will take YVE-The Gambia to the next level and the achievement of the SDGs will be possible.
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Young Volunteers for the Environment (YVE -The Gambia) 