NAN-H-59
Climate
By Isaac Aregbesola
Abuja, Nov. 17, 2016 (NAN) Commonwealth has pledged to assist member countries through its Climate Finance Access Hub to make the Paris climate agreement a reality.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland made the pledged on Thursday at a high level segment of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conference, COP22 in Morocco.
A statement issued by Communications Officer, Commonwealth Secretariat, Will Henley, quoted Scotland as saying that governments needed money to come up with innovative solutions to address the threat of climate change.
Scotland, who expressed concern over financing for climate initiatives, highlighted the benefits of the Commonwealth
Climate Finance Access Hub.
The Hub was reported to have been launched in September to help small and climate-vulnerable states draw on billions of dollars pledged funds yet to be utilised.
“Donors are contributing to the pot of climate funds, but it’s all tied up in red tape and countries are making efforts to manoeuvre through immensely complicated processes to access it.
“At present at least half of Commonwealth small states have requested assistance through the hub. This demand reflects the great challenge facing resource -strapped countries.
“It goes to the heart of concerns over meeting targets to reduce emissions in the Paris Agreement and the level of
ambition in national climate pledges.
“The bottom line is that governments need money to come up with innovative solutions to address this threat to our existence,” said Scotland.
Recently, the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the Cloudburst Foundation had invited experts to examine the
possibility of significantly accelerating the pace of carbon emission reduction at a workshop at Marlborough House in
London.
She said, “We had leading scientists, academics and experts from universities and regional organisations in
Caribbean, Pacific, Africa, Asia and Europe explore innovations that can be scaled up to help countries tackle
climate change.’’
“One example is concrete that can ‘breath in’ and safely dispose of carbon.
“We also learn about projects in the Commonwealth, like restoration of the Rugezi Wetlands in Rwanda, that reversed declining hydropower production and boosted food security,” she said.
The experts, according to her are working with the Commonwealth Secretariat on a climate action project to propose to its members, adding that the initiative was a perfect companion for the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub.
“I am proud of the fact that the Commonwealth was instrumental to what the Paris Agreement achieved at COP21.
“The influence of the Commonwealth Leaders’ Statement on Climate Change made at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malta on the eve of COP21 is undeniable.
“What we achieved in Paris was historic. But there is unfinished business.
“The Commonwealth is working hard to ensure that future generations do not accuse us of going back on our commitment to tackle climate change,” she said. (NAN)
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Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi/Controlled by Grace Yussuf